Chapter 110
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Translator: Xrecker
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Shattered Glass
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We decided to confirm our positions one last time before starting the operation.
"I’m the damage dealer."
I pointed to myself.
"You’re also the damage dealer."
I then pointed at Dorothea.
"She’s also the damage dealer."
Finally, I pointed at Vanessa.
Our party didn’t need a tank, a healer, or a buffer.
We would just bulldoze our way through.
With my master, the sole hope of the Oz Kingdom, having declared her neutrality, the King was left with only the Royal Guard and the 1st Division.
The 2nd and 3rd Divisions had been dispatched to the Eastern Front, leaving the areas surrounding the capital largely undefended.
The Royal Guard was the most formidable of the remaining forces, as its commander was a Sword Master, just like Vanessa.
Of course, Vanessa was a 300-year-old veteran Sword Master.
After a final check, we exchanged glances.
“I’ll give a signal after the assassination. Move when you see it.”
“What kind of signal?”
“You won’t miss it. It’ll be a grand fireworks display.”
I then pulled out the circlet, one of the three divine artifacts of the Hero.
It was a luxurious platinum piece.
Originally, it had a large ruby, Unlimited Power, set in the center, but I had since turned that into a necklace, leaving an empty socket.
I placed a fake gemstone, created with transmutation magic, in its place. The trap was set.
"Let’s go."
I said, a grim expression on my face, and we left the house.
***
The Royal Castle of Oz.
As expected, it was much more heavily guarded than any other building.
It was, after all, the residence of the King and his family.
In case of an emergency, it would also serve as a shelter for nobles and citizens, so it was surrounded by high walls, as tall as the city’s outer walls.
A familiar sight.
The last time I had been here was to meet the King with the Hero’s party. Old memories resurfaced.
I shouldn't have joined them.
Vanessa and Dorothea, their faces hidden by their hoods, followed me silently.
I was the only one who knew the way.
The drawbridge leading to the castle was heavily guarded, and the two, without any connections, wouldn't be able to enter with me.
“Wait for me at a nearby tavern.”
“Good luck.”
“Finish him quickly.”
We bumped fists, and I headed towards the drawbridge alone.
Guards were stationed in pairs at the gate. They were on high alert, likely due to the recent unrest.
“Halt! State your name and purpose!”
I slowly removed my hood.
I had deliberately dirtied myself and changed into worn-out clothes, as being too clean would raise suspicion.
I took a deep breath and shouted, loud enough for the guards to hear,
“I am the mage who fought alongside the Hero, Artorius! I have returned with the Hero’s relics! Inform His Majesty at once!”
The surrounding people and guards began to murmur.
The news of the Hero’s failure to defeat the Demon Lord and the unknown fate of his companions was already widespread.
A guard, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly ran inside.
He likely went to fetch a superior. A moment later, he returned with a knight.
The knight, out of breath, asked,
“Are you… Master Kaldrash?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and showed him my gold medal.
He looked back and forth between the name on the medal and my face, then swallowed nervously.
“Please, come inside. His Majesty has been informed and will see you shortly.”
“Thank you.”
I followed the knight and easily infiltrated the royal castle.
***
The Royal Castle of Oz had been rebuilt and expanded after the original castle was demolished.
To have rebuilt the castle twice in its short 300-year history must have cost a fortune in taxes.
I was led down a long corridor, past maids and servants, to a guest room.
The knight who had escorted me asked me to wait and then left.
Alone in the luxurious guest room, I looked around.
"Nothing has changed much."
I was bored, with nothing to do but wait.
I decided to use the spare time to meditate.
Having just reached the seventh tier, there was still much I didn't know.
I didn't know why I hadn't undergone the same physical transformation as my master, or what I had gained from reaching the seventh tier.
I closed my eyes and breathed in slowly.
One thing was certain: I could now absorb more mana with a single breath.
My mana conversion efficiency had increased.
While I hadn't had much trouble with mana before, it now felt as if I had an infinite supply.
Whirrrr—
My master called this stage the “stage of harmony.”
I didn't know why she had chosen such a grand name, but there must have been a reason.
I had to figure it out for myself.
After about thirty minutes of meditating, a knock on the door broke my concentration.
I opened my eyes and said,
“Come in.”
An old man, who appeared to be the castle’s chief steward, entered and bowed.
“Master Kaldrash, welcome back. His Majesty wishes to hear about the circumstances of the Hero’s capture and death.”
“Of course. I will tell him everything.”
“Thank you for your cooperation. Please, follow me.”
Normally, an audience with the king would involve a lengthy and formal procedure.
I would have been washed, scrubbed, and polished before being presented to him.
But King Oscar was clearly desperate for information.
We skipped all the formalities, and I was led straight to the audience chamber.
As we walked down the long corridor, I saw the massive doors to the audience chamber.
The Royal Guards standing in front of the doors, who had been staring straight ahead, stiffened as the chief steward approached.
The chief steward was a high-ranking noble, a Count of the Court.
And since he was in a position to speak directly to the king, it was best not to get on his bad side.
“Inform His Majesty that the mage, Kaldrash, has arrived. And do it quietly.”
The guard, who had been about to announce my arrival with a loud fanfare, looked confused for a moment, then replied in a sharp, military tone,
“Yes, sir!”
The chief steward frowned.
“Quietly.”
The Royal Guard, with a slightly embarrassed expression, cautiously opened the door and entered.
I watched him go, a pang of sympathy in my heart.
Life must be hard for him.
Standing guard in front of the audience chamber all day, enduring the endless chain of command.
He undoubtedly had his own struggles.
As I was staring at the now-empty space, the door opened, and the guard poked his head out.
“He will see you now.”
He then opened the massive doors.
I walked down the red carpet and saw King Oscar, with his white hair and white beard, sitting on the throne.
“Welcome, Kaldrash. It’s been a year and a half, hasn’t it?”
I knelt before him and said,
“You are as wise as ever, Your Majesty.”
“Haha, you always know what to say. But today, I want you to tell me everything about the Hero’s final moments. Depending on the circumstances—”
“Depending on the circumstances?”
“I might have to hold you accountable for being the sole survivor. Hahahahaha.”
“Hahahaha.”
I made a vow.
I had already planned to kill him, but now, I was going to make it painful.
I forced a smile and pulled out the circlet from my pocket.
“This is a letter the Hero left for me, along with his circlet, when we escaped from the Demon Lord’s dungeon. Unfortunately, I couldn't retrieve his sword and shield, but I wanted to return this to the royal family.”
“Oh, how thoughtful of you. Bring it here.”
I stood up and approached the throne.
While I wanted to hand it to him directly, the paranoid old man would only accept it through his steward.
I reluctantly handed the letter and circlet to the chief steward and then stepped back, waiting for the king’s reaction.
The king stroked the circlet, which looked identical to the original, and then opened the letter.
It read:
‘A special gift from the Wizard of Oz to the greedy fox.’
A mana stone, filled with fire mana, which I had asked Dorothea to create.
Its elemental structure was unstable and would explode with the slightest impact.
And its power was far greater than dynamite.
“You son of a…”
Hummmmm—
King Oscar, realizing he had been tricked, was about to curse, but the fake ruby in the circlet began to glow brightly.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The massive explosion blew off the roof of the audience chamber, revealing the blue sky. I muttered, a sense of satisfaction washing over me,
“Art is an explosion.”
Showtime.