22 Chapter 22: Infiltration

"We finally infiltrated the Count's mansion," Clint said with a sigh of relief. "The security is really tight, and now we have to figure out where the hell is that couple."

"Just take a drop of their blood, make them unconscious, and hide them. Let's split up," Lareia stated and went to the left-wing.

Clint stared at her back, wanting to stop her, but he knew better and went in the opposite direction. "This is boring," he thought to himself.

They took a couple of turns and checked different rooms until they found the count and countess. Luckily, it is tea time and the couple prefers to have it in their own rooms, so both of them slipped to the room as the maids enter.

They waited for a couple of minutes until the maids left, leaving the couple alone. They then proceeded to the plan. Knocked them out and hid them inside a magical chest as small as a palm but can store hundreds of people in it. By simply opening the chest, it will automatically shrink whoever is within its range and the person must be unconscious. Afterward, Clint disguised as the count came to the countess' room to meet up with Lareia.

"My lady?" Clint knocked before entering.

"Come in," Lareia answered. Clint let himself in and quietly closed the door behind him. He stood there and watched Lareia brush her now brown hair because of the potion they drank. They both have the elf's trademark look, pointed ears.

"Ah, I can never get used to this disguise. This couple might be good looking, but they are not exactly good. Why did you choose these corrupt jerks?" he complained as he sat on the chair.

"Why not? If you want to enter a corrupt government, why not through the ones who are near the top? Their positions might be this low, but their power inside is comparable to the duke," Lareia replied. "Also, they don't have an intimate relationship and they are quite similar to our personalities so it wouldn't be hard to act like them."

"And here I thought we can act lovey-dovey..." he whispered. Lareia heard him and heaved out a sigh.

"Why do you always flirt with women when you have different preferences?" Clint looked at her, shock evident in his face.

"How did you know, my lady?! I mean, why would you assume something like that?"

"I guess I was wrong. Let's go," she said and was about to open the door. "Clint, don't restrain yourself. Do whatever you want." She then left, leaving him dumbfounded.

Clint was still in a daze when Lareia called to him, snapping him back to reality. The question, "what the hell did she just say?" kept repeating in his mind as he followed her.

They walked down the corridor, out of the mansion, to a carriage prepared for them. There is a meeting with influential nobles regarding the new proposal for the Fel Kingdom. This is the best and riskiest way to get information.

The carriage then entered the walls of the inner palace, stopping on what seemed as if endless stairs. The door opened and they helped themselves out. After taking in a deep breath, they proceeded to climb up to the palace.

"Why are these stairs so high?!" Clint complained while walking beside Lareia.

"This is like a belief of theirs, a stupid one, that is. They believe that the higher the palace, the more power it has. They also think that the higher the stairs the people climb, the more they are cleansed of their sins. It's just a load of stupidity to prove their wealth."

"Aren't you afraid to be heard?" He asked Lareia after she explained the weird belief of the Tranquil Kingdom.

"Magic exists, idiot," Lareia replied and rolled her eyes at the same time. She can't believe how stupid the duke beside her is.

"I'm not an idiot! Magic will be detected by the palace, don't you know?" he said while worriedly looking around.

"I can't believe how stupid you are. They can only detect spells that they know," she sighed afterward.

"You do know a bunch of things," Clint praised her since he knew he is in trouble.

Lareia sighed once again and stopped in front of him. "You must learn to know everything about your enemy, no matter how little it is. Every detail matters, so use your power to get some knowledge and use that brain of yours to make use of the information gathered. Stop using it on trivial things, like hiding your sexual preference--"

"Stop, stop! I understand, but you don't have to mention that! I like women, alright?!" his voice rose a little bit and his face was a mess because of panic.

Lareia can't help but laugh at him for a while, then her eyes pierced right through him when she turned back to her serious self.

"Remember this. You are not Clint right now, so act like that dirty count, understood?" Clint only nodded in response, understanding how dangerous their situation is.

Infiltrating the palace of their archenemy is already dangerous enough, but bringing a runaway demon princess is way worse than it is. Clint started to question his life decisions at this sudden realization but kept climbing the stairs with Lareia in front of him.

After almost an hour, they both arrived in front of the palace doors, where a bunch of maids and butlers are waiting.

"Welcome, count, and countess, we are expecting your arrival. Please follow me to the meeting room," one of the butlers welcomed us and we did as said.

The whole place was luxurious, even though the palace is covered with vines. A place that you won't expect to be this beautiful. Every corner has beautiful flowers of different breeds growing and the vines are like emeralds and are beautifully decorating the plain white walls. We then stopped in front of two golden doors with a royal guard on each side.

"The count and countess have arrived!" The guards announced and the butler stepped aside. The doors slowly swung open as the light from the room slowly greeted us.

"This is the real battlefield. Remember everything I said and prepare yourself for the worst." Lareia used telepathy to communicate to Clint as they entered the enemy's lair.

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