Prince Alexander

CG Chapter 98: Prince Alexander

Tom had to use all of his energy to make sure no one noticed the deaths of Alexander and Lucian.

Admiring the masterpiece he had created, Tom grinned demonically, but quickly the smile faded as he felt all of his strength waver.

Killing Alexander, a high-ranking knight, and using his blood-control ability to silence Lucian had drained him.

Breathing heavily, he supported himself with the table.

Now that he had successfully finished the first part of his mission, he didn't have time to celebrate, as he still needed to deal with the bodies and continue to his toughest and final target.

He locked the door to ensure he wouldn't be interrupted in the middle of his act.

Tom decided that the best way to kill the king was to disguise himself as Alexander de Astrial.

With the crown prince's face, he would have an easier time moving around the palace, and no one would dare to question him.

Despite his success so far, Tom felt uneasy. This feeling told him that killing the king wouldn't be nearly as easy as killing Alexander.

This strange feeling didn't come out of nowhere; instead, it stemmed from his experience working inside the cathedral and under the eyes of Lumina.

From his understanding of how the seven gods operated, each of them kept a close eye on their highest-ranking subjects--the kings and popes.

After hiding the bodies and transforming himself into Alexander, Tom began to tinker with the items in the office and look around for any useful information.

Eventually, he found a map of the palace, tucked away in one of the drawers.

As he examined it, Tom noticed that the ink wasn't too old, as if it had been recently drawn. In the bottom corner, he saw the outline of the letter "A" etched in a small, graceful stroke.

Tom felt that this "A" was likely for Alexander rather than Astrial.

Thinking about this, a smirk appeared on his face. He thought that Alexander was helping him, even after he had peacefully sent him off.

From there, Tom began to move the objects in the office around, as if he were creating a strange trap.

He started by moving one of the candle holders from the corner of the office to the center. He then placed a thin piece of parchment beneath it, positioning it carefully so that the melting wax would slowly accumulate on top of it, drop by drop.

With time, and as the wax built up, the candle would ignite the parchment, setting off the whole palace in a blazing inferno.

Tom muttered to himself, "By the time anyone realizes, it'll be too late. Now, the only thing left is to kill Sofos."

Taking one final look around the room, Tom relished in the scene. He thought of how he had entered the office as a lowly guard and would now exit as the crown prince. This was likely the fastest rise to power in the history of Sollaria.

Exiting the room, Tom glanced coldly at the two guards outside, and in a commanding voice that couldn't be defied, he ordered, "Ensure that no one, and I mean no one, enters my room until I'm back. Tell anyone who asks to come back later, since I have an urgent matter to attend to with my royal father."

After taking a few steps, he turned his head. "Oh, and if I find out anyone entered…"

Tom left the two guards with an open-ended threat that was even more terrifying than any other threat he could have made.

In the first place, he knew that there wasn't anyone who was dumb enough to enter the crown prince's office. Yet, he didn't want to leave any chance for potential complications.

The reaction of the guards fit perfectly with what he wanted. They quickly replied, "Yes, your Highness."

The guards didn't dare to question why or what.

They knew that when they signed up as soldiers, their only duty was to mindlessly follow orders. Soldiers didn't have the right to question whether the orders they were given were right or wrong, or even if they made sense.

Continuing with his plan, Tom confidently navigated the palace using Alexander's map.

While searching Alexander's office, he gained a better understanding of the relationship between Alexander and the king.

This made him realize that he would need a solid excuse to enter--and that he couldn't enter the king's chambers simply because he was disguised as his son.

After thinking for a while, he came up with the idea that the only way he wouldn't cause the king to doubt him was by using the kingdom's rules against the king. He needed to force the king to act in the name of facing the Eternal Flames.

He took deep breaths, preparing himself for what he was about to face. After all, this was going to be his first time facing a veteran grand knight, and he had no way of knowing what the king might bring out.

But what was truly worrying wasn't the king's experience--since everyone in this world was like a child compared to his countless death experiences.

He wondered if Luminara had given the king any powers beyond this rank-one world. He already knew about the legendary rapier, Stulte, but its true capabilities remained a mystery to him. His only knowledge of it was from a few folktales and legends that couldn't be trusted.

Approaching the grand doors of the king's chambers, which were as large, if not larger, than Alexander's office, Tom was surprised by the lack of guards.

Even though the king was a grand knight and didn't need them, Tom had expected that some formalities would be followed. But it seemed the king truly wanted to isolate himself from everyone else, not allowing even guards to stand outside his room.