Chapter 130: Preview of events
One day later.
As the forces gathered in the Commercial City, a few hours’ drive from Lor, the usually glamorous city fell silent.
Although no one understood what on earth was happening, the city’s upper echelons sensed that something major might be about to unfold.
At that moment, 300 Elite Soldiers of the Royal Guard were seen marching through the streets of Lor, heading toward the Commercial City.
"Has Count Hazzard’s royal authority been mobilized in Lor and is heading this way?" Edward asked in shock.
"Yes, Young Lord. All of Count Hazzard’s current royal forces are coming here. It’s likely that the Count himself is already in the city," Harry replied.
Edward frowned and walked to the window of his room to look down at the city below.
’I didn’t expect a real show of force... But Count Hazzard is among my prime suspects for treason. Is he planning to defend them? Or to thwart our plans? Has he found out everything?’ he thought.
Confronting the Royal Army was currently impossible for them. First, neither the Smiths nor Aurora’s current forces could match them in terms of raw power. But the main problem was the status they held.
Who would have the nerve to stand up to the Royal Authority? Even if you were stronger than them, you wouldn’t do it. After all, you can’t go against the authority granted by the king, unless you want to die.
"The situation has become dangerous," Edward said suddenly and began walking toward the door. "I planned to wait a few days to be completely sure of the ideal moment to attack, but I won’t have enough time. We have to attack now."
"Will we run into trouble with the Royal Army if we don’t act quickly, Young Lord?"
"Probably. I don’t know why they’re moving toward us, but it can’t be a coincidence. So let’s start mobilizing our troops to do this tonight. I don’t want to risk this going wrong."
Harry nodded and replied resolutely, "Very well, Young Lord. I’ll tell our men to get ready for tonight."
Edward motioned for him to go do that and not worry about him. When Harry left, Edward began to make his move.
--
The night wind in the Commercial City blew with an unusual chill, carrying distant echoes of boots clattering through the city.
Edward could almost feel the echo of the Royal Force’s metal boots approaching; an illusion born of the fear that this crucial mission might fail.
Hidden in the shadows of a dark alley across from the imposing headquarters of the Red Moon Cave, Edward took a deep breath and clenched his fists. "I can’t fail," he whispered.
He needed more information. He needed to know more about his father, and he also needed to take down this enemy who had him in their sights.
After taking a couple of deep breaths with his eyes closed, Edward opened them again and looked at the building once more.
To the public, it was the corporate headquarters of a real estate company of staggering wealth. They had carried out several high-profile projects in the Commercial City and nearby towns—building recreational plazas, training centers, and a variety of mansions and residential buildings.
But to him, it was nothing more than the headquarters of a rat’s nest.
"Harry, you need to know that time is our deadliest enemy today. I don’t know how much time we have, but I’m sure it’s less than three hours," Edward said suddenly, addressing Harry, who was hiding beside him.
"Less than three hours..." Harry repeated his last words. He felt the pressure on his chest and shoulders.
"I know it’s hard. Three hours to destroy an organization whose reach is unknown... I think it’s an impossible mission," Edward admitted.
Harry smiled. He was holding a communication device in his hand and nodded.
"All our men are in position, Young Master. Miss’s men have secured all the blind spots at the emergency exits. My subordinates are inside and outside the cave. We’ve placed the explosives you instructed us to in every location, so the building can be brought down at any moment... Mission impossible or not, whether we complete it to the letter or not, we’ll inflict major damage on an organization that was capable of bringing down a Count."
"Not just anyone can do that," Harry acknowledged.
Edward smiled and agreed. "Very well. Then it’s time for this mission to begin," he said, grabbing a mask from his storage ring to put on. He also put on a work suit and nodded to Harry.
"Activate the supply protocol, but don’t set off the explosives yet. We’re going to make this perfect," he said.
Harry clenched his fist and nodded. "I wish you luck, Young Lord."
Finally, Edward ran, taking advantage of the darkness, and slipped into the back of a supply wagon traveling along the main road leading to the building.
There were four supply wagons, each pulled by four powerful horses trained for heavy loads, bearing the slogan of a very famous company in the city, responsible for supplying magical beast crystals to partner organizations.
Upon reaching the city entrance, the city guards stopped them.
"Routine inspection," said one of them as he approached the windows. "How many crystals are there this time? I heard they requested 5,000, but there are only four of you..."
The driver acted as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "That’ll be 5,100. This time we’ve gone out of our way to get the best quality, which means they’re smaller. If you have any doubts about us or the authenticity of our name, I invite you to ask our leader."
The guard smiled. "Don’t say that, old man..." He apologized. "Can I take a look?" he asked.
"Of course." The driver motioned for him to follow.
He walked to the back and pulled back the curtain, letting the moonlight shine on the crystals.
The guard’s eyes gleamed intensely at the sight of the sheer number of crystals and their high quality. "You really went all out," the guard said, swallowing hard, and allowed him to close the curtain.
"Hm?" Just as the curtain closed, he frowned and looked toward the carriage.
"Is something wrong?" the driver asked.
"Didn’t you see that? Like a shadow reflected in the windows."
"A shadow?" The driver raised an eyebrow. "It’s nighttime. Haven’t you noticed?" he replied sarcastically.
"You..."
"Tsk, I didn’t think the guards here were such idiots," he said, grabbing the curtain to pull it aside. He then pointed out the corners and other parts of the carriage. "I don’t know if you realize it, but the walls cast shadows, and the windows..."
"I already know that." The guard blushed with embarrassment and walked quickly away, paying little attention to what the driver was saying behind him.
The driver smiled slightly. ’Idiot.’
"5,100 high-purity Magic Crystals from the Blue Cargo Company are coming in! Open the gates!" roared the guard in question.
Seconds later, a deafening noise filled the air, and the enormous metal gate swung open like a curtain. The horses moved forward, pulling the carriages, and entered the building, heading toward the main warehouse.
Once inside, only two guards followed him, and as soon as they were inside the warehouse, the drivers got out.
"To your positions," said Edward, jumping out of the carriage that had been inspected.
The drivers and both guards nodded respectfully. "Yes, Young Master."
Without another word, each ran to their positions, and the warehouse fell into complete silence, with only one driver left, asleep.
Edward walked quickly through the building’s hallways.
’Five floors up and three down. The bottom three are several times larger than the upper ones...’ Edward reviewed the building’s information and everything he knew about it.
The three lower floors were where the Red Moon Cave operated. It was difficult to access, but he had a plan. On the upper floors, only that real estate and construction company operated.
Five minutes after the carriages had entered and once Edward had taken his position, a message was passed among the infiltrators.
"It’s time."
It was simple. But powerful.
Seconds later, a series of explosions shook the building to its foundations.
BOOOM!
The roar caused the guards and workers to jump to their feet in fear and rush to the scene.
While everyone rushed to see what had happened, Edward walked straight ahead, passing several of them, and reached a fortified door at the other end of the hallway. There had been guards there before, but they had all moved away.
Now the way was clear.
For Edward, the mission had just begun the moment he knocked on the door.
He grabbed his magical communication device and spoke again: "Position secured. Set off the fireworks."
With nothing else to do or say, he pushed open the metal door.
Just then, a deafening explosion shook the building once again. But this time, it wasn’t one that would affect a small or specific area, much less one that wouldn’t cause damage.
It was an explosion on the third floor and above. The floor where the supplies were stored.