Chapter 279: Infiltration of Versailles
Silence hung in the gloom of the Dark Castle. Lucius Feramir paced between Valerius and Chris, checking the devices secured to their gear. Valerius wore a dark gray sweater that didn't restrict his movements, and buckled shoes, while Chris stood in a formal suit — a black vest over a white shirt, with a tied black bow tie and dark trousers.
Lucius carefully inspected the sensors, adjusted a couple of fastenings on the clasps, then rested his hands on his hips and gave a short nod:
"Alright, we're good to go."
Lucius himself wore a red jacket over a crisp black shirt, and on his head — a red top hat with a black band. In his right hand, he held a red cane topped with a smooth yellow orb.
Standing slightly to the side, Edriac — in a dark coat of thick cloth with silver embroidery along the collar and formal trousers — nodded silently.
Before taking a step, Lucius and Edriac simultaneously clenched their fingers into fists and unclenched them again, stretching and contracting the springy pads on their hands, and in the next instant, both silently vanished from the Dark Castle and materialized near the Versailles Kingdom.
Just a couple of minutes later, they approached the massive outer gates of the Versailles Kingdom.
The guards at the post straightened up and instantly recognized Edriac. As the ruler of a neighboring state and an official guest, he was recognized and allowed through without unnecessary questions. However, one of the guards immediately noticed Lucius, and clear confusion showed on his face.
Edriac noticed this hesitation and said calmly:
"This is my son, Danial."
The guards exchanged glances. Neither of them had heard of an heir to Thornsvald, but they didn't dare question the king's words right at their post. After hesitating for a couple of seconds and peering at Lucius once more, one of the guards nodded and stepped aside:
"A-alright... you may pass."
Lucius and Edriac passed through the gates and walked on.
The streets of Versailles stretched out ahead. Light spilled from the windows of the houses, illuminating the neat facades, while soft magical lights floated slightly higher up, gently illuminating everything and creating a peaceful evening atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the guards behind them immediately returned to their stances.
"Are there really kings who walk around without a carriage and guards?" one whispered quietly to the other without turning his head.
"Well... looks like it," the second replied, half-turning.
Lucius and Edriac continued walking down the streets and a few minutes later reached the main gates leading directly onto the grounds of the castle itself.
There were far more guards here — warriors stood practically everywhere. Lucius clearly felt the weight and the gazes of a thousand eyes tracking their every movement.
Without breaking his stride, Lucius pulled his left hand from his pocket and took out a small black box. The guards and the duty mages at the gates immediately tensed, staring intently at him. Paying them no mind, Lucius opened the box, took out a single thin lens, and immediately put the box back in his pocket.
He placed the lens directly over his left eye. Seeing this, the guards relaxed slightly, but still maintained a strict watch over Feramir.
Lucius closed his right eye and opened his left. The entire structure of the castle instantly revealed itself to him. He saw the flows and concentration of mana, the visible threads, and quickly counted how many combat mages were in the castle and throughout the surrounding area. Then his gaze plunged deeper — beneath the kingdom's territory itself.
There, he distinctly saw a generator and several dozen engineers doing something around it.
Closing his left eye and opening his right, Lucius returned to normal vision.
At the entrance to the inner grounds, they were met by a guard who led them through the inner garden straight to the main doors of the castle.
They stepped inside. At first, the rooms seemed ordinary, but as they made their way deeper and deeper, the halls grew larger, more spacious, and more colorful. The guard led them further through numerous stairways, corridors, and rooms until finally bringing them to the door of the king's study.
The guard knocked briefly on the study door. The king's even voice came from inside, granting them permission to enter. The servant opened the door, bowed deeply to the arrivals, and immediately withdrew, leaving them alone.
Edriac and Lucius stepped inside, and the door closed silently behind their backs.
Right behind a large desk sat the King of Versailles. Raising his gaze to the guests, he said:
"Welcome to House Bjornsson, Edriac Thornsvald and his son Danial Thornsvald. I am Volgar Bjornsson. Thank you for choosing to visit our kingdom."
"Hello, Mister..." Edriac began.
"No, you may just call me Volgar," the king gently interrupted him.
"Alright, then you may call me Edriac. And my son — Danial."
At that moment, Lucius Feramir closed his right eye and opened his left again. An immense concentration of mana permeated the room. Slightly further away, in hidden alcoves and camouflaged areas of the room, he clearly made out numerous mages — they sat in full readiness, prepared to unleash a volley of spells and enter combat at any moment.
Lucius closed his left eye and opened his right again, returning to normal vision.
"Thank you for inviting us, Volgar," Edriac said in the meantime.
"No, thank you for coming, Edriac. Making such a long journey to us is commendable."
"Oh, please..." Edriac replied.
"Alright..." Volgar leaned forward slightly. "I truly am grateful to you, and so as not to waste your time, perhaps you should proceed to the main hall?"
"Yes, of course."
"Henry," Volgar called out.
A subordinate who had been standing silently by the side doors this whole time immediately opened the door and gestured for them to pass through.
Edriac had already taken a step toward the exit, but Lucius Feramir slowed his pace.
"May I ask one quick question?" Lucius said.
Volgar raised his head and nodded:
"Yes, speak."
"Have all the aristocrats who were given an invitation arrived already?"
"No, not all of those I sent them to..." Volgar started to say.
"I mean the ones who accepted, but haven't shown up yet," Lucius calmly interrupted him.
"Ah," Volgar gave a small nod. "Yes, they are expected to arrive in about fifteen minutes."
Lucius bowed slightly:
"Thank you."
He turned around and walked out after Edriac. The heavy study door closed behind them.
Walking down the corridor, Lucius shifted his red cane to his left hand and slipped his right hand under his jacket. Feeling the hidden tablet, he pretended to simply be adjusting his clothes, quickly typed in a short code, and sent it. Once finished, he lightly brushed his jacket, continuing to walk on as if nothing had happened.
In that very instant, the magical dome over the kingdom dropped.
Lucius opened his left eye again. He cast a brief glance upward, his lens vision piercing through the castle's ceilings, and pinpointed the safest spot on the roof where it would be best to appear.
Meanwhile, in the Dark Castle, Valerius was pacing from corner to corner, constantly glancing at the bracelet hidden under the sleeve of his sweater.
"And how long is this going to take...?" he muttered under his breath.
A recent conversation with Feramir came back to him:
So when are we supposed to show up there? Valerius had asked.
I'll disable the dome, and after that, a green line will appear on your bracelet, Lucius had calmly explained. Then just press the button that pops out, and I'll transport you to the pre-set coordinates.
Coordinates?
Yes. Once I'm in the castle, I'll find a safe spot where you can appear.
Understood.
Valerius sighed and shot a glance at his watch:
"So how long do we have to wait?"
He shifted his gaze to Chris, who was standing motionless. Valerius walked over to him, tapped his shoulder a couple of times with a bent finger, and critically inspected him from all sides:
"You really wouldn't be able to tell you're a robot... You look exactly like a human."
Just a few seconds passed, and the bracelet on Chris's wrist suddenly flared with a steady green light. Seeing this, Valerius instantly pulled back his sleeve — his bracelet had lit up in the exact same way, and a small button smoothly popped out from its casing.
A wide smirk spread across Valerius's face:
"Well, finally!"
Both pressed the buttons simultaneously and instantly vanished.
A split second later, they materialized right on the roof of the Versailles castle, near its highest point. Quickly looking around and securing the perimeter, Valerius and Chris synchronously pressed their palms against their stomachs.
Beneath their clothes, massive belts locked with a dull click. At that moment, the air around their silhouettes began to ripple: their figures didn't become completely invisible, but their silhouettes and faces blurred behind intense optical distortion, making them completely unidentifiable from afar and hiding them from magical scans.
Meanwhile, Lucius Feramir, who was approaching the main hall alongside Edriac and their escorts at that very moment, lifted his gaze slightly upward. Spotting Valerius and Chris on the roof and ensuring that no one had detected their arrival, he smiled faintly.
In that same second, the massive doors in front of them began to smoothly open. Lucius lowered his head and fixed a calm gaze forward, watching the main hall open up before them.