The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 210: Scouting for information (3)

Chapter 210: Scouting for information (3)

’This bitch is indeed here.’

Hex waited through the night, hidden in the darkest corner he could find. He didn’t mind wasting so many hours that could have been spent scouting other areas.

When the door of the Vice-Captain opened close to dawn, a figure slipped out. She used the dark corridor to enter her room, three doors from the Vice-Captain’s room.

Despite the darkness, Hex recognized her at once. Her seductive figure, curious eyes, and innocent eyes were imprinted in his mind. She didn’t leave an impression on Hex because of her features but her act of betrayal.

’Old man Ivran died because of her. In a way, she also caused Wallen’s demise.’

Hex gritted his teeth but suppressed the urge to confront her. Besides, her presence here intrigued him.

’I bet my soul, she is here on the Divine Lord’s orders. Only he has the resources to infiltrate this royal camp without creating any suspicions.’

He didn’t spend much time with Briella but she lived inside the baron’s castle for some time during the competition of Grindeston. She was a lively person and was nice to him. Her last-moment betrayal impacted their battle extremely. She switched sides and joined the Dawnbringers, hoping to improve her fortune under the Divine Lord’s guidance.

The appearance of Solos and Ericka during the governor’s feast, the sight of the toddler, who Hex suspected to be the Divine Lord, and now the presence of Briella in the secret base, all pointed toward a conspiracy against the royals, hatched by the Dawnbringers.

Although Hex didn’t favor the royals, he was unwilling to let the Dawnbringers succeed. Even though the organization existed because of his mother and grandfather, he considered them the main culprit behind the baron’s predicament and source of grief. In his heart, the baron stood higher than all other people combined.

’Perhaps I can use their plans to complete my objective.’

This idea struck him out of nowhere but delighted him nonetheless.

’Let’s see who uses whom this time.’

With that happy thought, Hex entered the room of the Vice-Captain. He sensed him falling asleep.

...

’The governor’s office is here and his palace...there?’

After going through the stuff on the desk, Hex discovered a map of the noble’s district. Someone, most likely the Vice-Captain, annotated the important buildings, passages, and routes in it.

To his delight, he saw the two buildings he was most interested in. But his joy was short-lived when he looked at their exact location.

’They are at the southern wall. Shit. There is no way I will arrive there safely and secretly through all these red dots.’

There were various red dots on the map. They varied in size and shade. According to the notes, these were discovered spots with Disasters and Calamities. The darker the shade, the greater the danger they posed.

Even ignoring the hundreds of Disasters, Hex counted five Calamities on the paths leading to the governor’s office. And all had the darkest shade of red on the map. The thought of facing so many terrifying existences made his scalp tingle.

Just as Hex was about to leave the desk, he noticed a broken piece of nail on the desk. It wouldn’t pull his attention if it didn’t have some nail polish on it. Seeing the pink-colored piece of nail, Hex narrowed his eyes.

’Briella?’

To make sure he wasn’t mistaken, he tip-toed to the bed and checked the Vice-Captain. He was quite young and handsome with some feminine features to his face. His sharp jawline stood out the most.

His fingers and nails were well-maintained. They glistened in the dark with some dried-up substance - Hex noticed the same dried-up substance on his mouth and the area around his lips- giving a raunchy smell, but most importantly, his nails didn’t have any kind of polish on them.

’So she was snooping around too? But why? SS2 only has information on the district itself...WAIT!’

Hex pulled the map open. The distribution of the Disasters and Calamities stood out on it. Her presence in SS2 started to make sense.

’In that case, that guy should be here too.’

...

Achoo!

While yawning, Elron sneezed suddenly.

"Damn. Who is cursing me?"

He said jokingly as he used his robe to clean his nose. Seeing the sun almost appear on the horizon, he stood up and sat on the top floor of a multi-storied building.

Even after so many days, the sight from up high stunned him. It was beautiful. The ruined buildings, the moving shadows, the flickering light on the ground, and the high walls everywhere, all mesmerized him.

As he took in the sight, his gaze landed on the markings on the wall.

"Just two more days here, huh? I would love to remain here longer. The peace is addictive. No one who disturbs me. No noise outside. Only the sound of the wind, the bubbling of my potions, and the wailings of my subjects," Elron mumbled as he walked to the large table he used to do his experiments. "What do you think, big guy?"

Elron picked up a scalpel and cut it into the body before him. The Disaster-stage Heartless struggled but the countless needles and straps around it prevented it from moving.

He picked up a vial with boiling potion and poured it inside. The Heartless cells grew and protruded outward.

Elron stood and observed. The cells continued to grow. The Heartless’ body grew and bulged. Finally, it snapped and burst out, splattering the room with dark liquid and its wriggling flesh.

Having expected such a reaction, Elron ducked in time, sparing himself a bath of black liquid and flesh.

He pulled a miniature sand glass and observed it.

"It took half of the sand of this to funnel before it exploded. This heavy sand is ten times slower compared to normal sandglasses," Elron scribbled on a pad. "This equals about half a day before they self-destruct."

A lot depended on his calculations, so double-checked his equations. Only after he was satisfied, did he grin. "Everything is done. Perfect. In two days, we will enter the Temple district."