The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 212: Schemes behind schemes (2)

Chapter 212: Schemes behind schemes (2)

’SS3 or SS2 should have the most complete map with all the waterways underground.’

It made sense though. All the people stationed here served the royals. Even if Notrelune held power and prestige comparable to the capital at one time, they still belonged to the royals. The royals should have retained the most information about the city.

Hex didn’t investigate the well any further. The plain and open terrain near the well was visible from various buildings and alleys around it.

And each point had a guard stationed at it. They hid from sight but Hex’s superior senses picked them out, no matter what obscure corner they hid in.

Circumventing the area to check the other side wasn’t an option. According to the SS2’s map, a Calamity resided on the other side.

Hex wished to enter the Temple district without leaving any traces of his presence behind. Although he could escape the pursuit of a Calamity, it would alert the guards, leading to an investigation.

’But the Vice-Captains didn’t have such a map. At least not in their rooms.’ Hex was sure of it because he went through their stuff meticulously. ’That means the information is stored with the Captains or they keep it safe somewhere else.’

The SS3 map he found indicated all the offices of the SS1 and SS2. He remembered where the offices of these two forces lay. This would his first target be. If possible, he would avoid going into the Captains’ rooms. They were at the Refined Knight level. Their senses, although limited in range, should be nearly as great as Hex’s.

...

’This should be it.’

Hex stood in the middle of a messy room, holding an old parchment. As he suspected, the SS1 office did have a map where the waterways were drawn. They weren’t as detailed as he wished them to be but the faint lines under the walls were already a good start.

’Let’s see. The well is up here and it’s connected to a small channel leading south, out of the city.’ Hex traced the source and connections of the waterways.

’There should be some entry point outside the city. The people are brought in through the underground channel, helping the teams avoid the majority of Calamities and Disasters. But how do they bring people to that point outside? Moving goods and humans should attract some attention but they kept it a secret for so many years? Admirable.’

The planning and care the royals took to achieve their goal caused Hex to admire them. They didn’t leave anything to chance. They even left the majority of dangerous creatures alive so it wouldn’t elicit suspicions from others.

Hex didn’t dwell too much on how they achieved the logistics outside of the ruin. It didn’t help him with his goal so he left it at that.

’The outside is out of the question but what about another junction?’

The main line of the channel went outside the ruin but Hex noticed a faint line branching off and connecting with another channel inside the ruin. And this channel wasn’t too far off from the well either.

’Interesting.’

Hex’s eyes gleamed as his plan further developed in his mind.

’Let’s check SS2’s office too.’

...

’These maps are more detailed.’

Hex browsed the maps in the SS2’s office, doing crosschecks with the other maps he found. As a Knight with more than three thousand drops of energy, his memory was impeccable.

He quickly found similarities and differences on the maps, merging all the information he gathered so far.

By the time he finished going through all the information, the night had passed. Hex retreated. His planning was almost complete. There were some variables such as the Dawnbringers and the exact situation in the branch channel but Hex worked out different scenarios in his mind.

He spent the remaining time deliberating and thinking about various situations, working out all the details and different scenarios. Hex knew no amount of planning could cover all the possibilities but thorough preparations limited the time spent on decision making.

...

"Be prepared. At midnight we will open the gate!"

The potbellied Vice-Captain shouted at his men, standing guard at the gates. The gates were the most important part of their job. That’s why the Vice-Captain attended the gate himself. Their Captain, the Refined Knight, was also near.

They didn’t expect incidents but this was the protocol put in place by the Crown Prince himself. No one dared to ignore it. In the years they stood guard here people learned to obey without questioning these rules. Those who neglected the orders had long since disappeared.

...

"The signal is here. The goods will arrive in a few hours."

The stern-faced SS3 Vice-Captain stood in the shadows of the trees close to the well. His men spread out and fortified the defenses. They also moved a few artificially made bushes in a haphazard manner around the well, creating a path for the goods to be moved unseen from afar.

The Vice-Captain looked at the partially hidden moon in the sky. Unlike his colleagues, he often wondered about the fate of the ’goods’ he transported, never to be seen again. The other teams didn’t know the ’contents’ of the carriages that moved through the gates.

His inner voice didn’t allow him to be at peace. The appearance of the goods haunted him all the time. He almost went insane at some point, only surviving after finding relief in the bottles. Gradually, he took his men with him to drink till they couldn’t stand anymore. These were men who also faced the goods every time they arrived.

The Vice-Captain leaned against the tree. His body hankered the liquor. But he held himself together. After delivering the goods, he would drink till he fainted.

...

Knock. Knock.

"Come in," the SS2’s Vice-Captain said as he looked at himself in the mirror. He stared almost mesmerized by his features. Ever since he learned to look at mirrors, he was stunned by his beauty.

He watched the door open and his trusted underling entered. Her seductive figure and mesmerizing face rivaled his own in the mirror, at least according to him.

He smiled and welcomed her, about to wrap her in his arms. But she held him at bay. She shook her head, nudging at the open door.

Understanding her signal, he nodded and put up an authoritative expression.

"What brings you here, Hestia?"

Briella almost raised her brow, but she understood he called him by the name she used here.

"Sir, according to the scouts the creatures around the northern wall are all heading toward the gates. The Captain ordered to pull all the forces and concentrate on these beasts."

The Vice-Captain’s eyes widened in shock. It had been years since the Heartless acted strange. He sprang to his feet and ran out.

Briella walked out in a relaxed manner. She didn’t follow her superior., hiding in the dark. Suddenly, all the rooms opened. The people filed out.

Despite the urgency, everyone acted composed and organized. They were trained intensively in avoiding and leading Heartless in a planned manner.

Briella’s figure stood concealed behind the last door to open. A seductive woman walked out, rubbing her eyes. She felt still tired and sleepy.

"What happened?" She shouted at another person who was already hurrying out.

"Orders of the Vice-Captain. We need to hurry. The Heartless are moving toward the gates."

The woman froze in her steps. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the man run out. She couldn’t believe it.

"How did they discover them so quickly? We arranged their path, calculating the movement of the scouts and the position of the guards."

She gritted her teeth in frustration. Although things weren’t ruined completely, it did put a damper on their plans.

"I hope the Divine Lord’s grace helps us succeed," she murmured almost inaudibly.

"Hestia, why are you standing there? Come!" The Vice-Captain appeared down the corridor and urged her to follow.

With no other option, she ran up to him and left the building.

Only when they disappeared, did the other figure looking like Briella walk out. She opened the door of the room Briella left and entered the room. She drew a few murals on the wall and put a few old letters on the desk, hiding them beneath a stack of documents.

’Let’s see how you explain this.’

The figure morphed and regained his original appearance, revealing Hex grinning widely. Although his plan didn’t depend on the Dawnbringer’s goal, he wouldn’t leave this chance of using them as a cover.

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