Chương 49: Disguise
Chapter 49: Disguise
After two hours of travel, Abium finally arrived at Bare Keep town around 7 P.M and stared at the three to four-meter-tall walls encircling the town.
The entrance to the town was like the gate of a large city. The walls on either side of the gate bent like the castle walls.
He noticed the horses, along with soldiers, stood in lines at the town's gate.
Many soldiers started to ignite the torches placed on the town wall as the darkness shrouded the surroundings. There was tight security even to enter the town.
When he saw the tense and vigilant atmosphere, an uneasy feeling appeared in his heart.
'I have a hunch that something important is going to happen here! But what caused the Crown Prince to lose his arm? Moreover, why did he come to this rural town?'
He furrowed his eyebrows in suspicion and decided to think of a plan to enter the town first.
'My first job is to get in touch with Nicolaus.'
Abium was a close friend of Baron's son Nicolaus in the past.
Nicolaus was a laid-back person and didn't have any goals in his life. He always focused on studies and knight training and rarely showed interest in politics.
But during the Grand Nobles' Gathering, Baron died protecting Prince Raollet and earned the respect of the whole kingdom.
Later, Nicolaus inherited his father's title and replaced his position.
Alas, he soon lost his territory to demons after the arrival of the Chaos Era and became a lone wolf.
He roamed the kingdom as a lone knight and finally met with Abium, Helena, and Kuran.
After that, they officially formed a team and became a big nuisance to the Night Demons, Demon Cult members, and even the Necromancers.
It was not their strength that scared the demons but their schemes.
'It's all in the past. Even though we were revered as savior knights by the morals, our strength became insignificant later on. Mages finally decided to join the battle against Demons and started playing a major role. On the other hand, warriors like us became cannon folders for them.' A bitter smile appeared on Abium's face as he thought of the past.
Becoming a Warrior might look like an impressive feat for an ordinary mortal. But in Abium's eyes, even becoming a Mage was not extraordinary.
'Even Second-Tier Mages died like chickens at the end of the Chaos Era. So, my goal should be far higher.' Shaking his head, he decided to focus on the current problem.
I don't need to befriend Nicolaus but to know more about the current situation.'
'I don't know what happened in the past, but I will find out the truth.' Even though he had traveled back in time, he wasn't an omniscient being.
'I've limited knowledge. But I've to use them carefully and play my cards.'
He massaged his temple and pondered.
'I need to use a fake identity to enter the town. But the problem is I'm currently in Half-elf appearance.' He paused for a moment and soon thought of a particular wood elf.
'Navarre. He has a half-brother named Thallan'
Both Nicolaus and Navarre graduated from the Elven knight institute and were best friends.
But Nicolaus hadn't seen Thallan and only heard about his adventures from Navarre.
Unlike Navarre, his half-brother Thallan was a Royal Half-elf and could be his perfect target for disguise.
Although Abium had only met Thallan two times in the past, he knew very well of his character.
'He is a reckless man who would even charge into an army alone to get his job done. He is also an explorer squad member of the Elven Army and has a good experience when it comes to exploring dangerous areas. I also heard a strange rumor that he has abnormal luck.'
What's more impressive was that his growth in strength would shock the whole Elven Kingdom within the next seven years.
'Later, he will become the commander of the Explorers Squad, destroy many demon forts and hideouts, and play a major role during the Chaos Era. Many elves will even revere him as the champion of Mother Nature Goddess. More importantly, his Druid identity would earn him more fame.'
Shaking his head, he quietly moved towards the entrance gate and told the gatekeepers about his identity and the purpose of his visit.
Within a few minutes, he got out of the verification area, entered the town, and was relieved.
'Well, it somehow worked.'
Once entering the town, he directly moved towards the Fortress at the center of the Bare Keep Town.
He saw the streets and shops were crowded with many soldiers on the way. The symbols on their uniforms indicate all these guys were from different households.
'As I had expected, many noble houses are gathering here.' The frown on his forehead deepened.
Abium's purpose was to make Nicolaus believe that he was Navarre's half-brother!
Abium didn't mind using Thallan's identity, though.
He knew that the Wadel Kingdom soldiers would imprison the real Thallan sooner and put him in prison.
It would take more than six months to know the cause of his disappearance.
'So, I don't have to worry about using his identity.'
While thinking, he walked past many inns, shops, and houses, made a few turns, and finally arrived at the Fortress's entrance.
It was an imposing three-story structure.
The walls of the Fortress were made up of stone. Both sides of the wall were towers, and the upper floor was covered with windows and balconies.
Abium narrowed his eyes as he observed the surroundings and finally locked his gaze on the opened entrance gate.
At that moment, he saw dozens of soldiers holding spears and swords and kept watching vigilantly.
After a simple scan, he realized that all of those soldiers were more or less second-tier warriors and nodded.
He also saw more than twenty horses tied to the nearby poles and stood in lines.
'They look like some kind of hybrid breed horses.' Even their colors appeared greyish brown and seemed stronger and taller.
'These horses belong to Margrave Eliot and his knight.' In truth, he and a few other High-Rank Nobles were the ones who had deep ties with other kingdoms. So, it wasn't hard for him to guess whose horses they were.
His eyes wandered towards the fortress wall, then towards the entrance, and soon he saw a few soldiers who seemed to have noticed his presence.
'Okay. Just act normally and get in.'
While thinking in mind, he stepped forward and began to walk inside the Fortress as it was his own house.
But to his bad luck, two soldiers stood suddenly, stepped forward, and blocked his path using their spears.
One of them walked closer to Abium and sized him up and down. Meanwhile, another man brought the fire torch, lifted it straight towards his face, and tried to see his appearance in the yellow light.
Although it wasn't a disrespectful behavior, Abium decided to make it one.
With a fit of anger on his face, Abium glared at the soldier and asked.
"Is this your town's tradition to stop the guest at the entrance door?"
On the other hand, the soldier was surprised by his words and asked in anxiety.
"Who are you? Where are you from?"
At that moment, Abium showed an annoyed look and responded.
"Are you asking for my hometown? I am a friend of Baron's son. Do you have anything else to say?"
"Don't try to fool us with some nonsense. You don't even have a good dress. How can you be a friend of our Young Master?"
One of the gatekeepers said coldly while the others began to laugh at Abium.
At that moment, a muscular-looking guard in silver armor stepped forward and spoke.
"No matter who you are, you can't go in! Today's guests have arrived already. Lord Tibbott commanded us not to let anyone inside anymore!"
Abium guessed that this person might be the Guard Captain from the outer appearance and authoritative tone.
At that moment, more soldiers approached from the sides to see the commotion.
Meanwhile, a troubled look appeared on Abium's face.
'Do I have to go back? Or should I go inside using Baron Auguinare's recommendation letter?'
Soldiers' murmurs started to fall on his ears as he thought deeply.
He immediately decided what to do next.
"Don't block my way. I will go back," He said solemnly and turned around.
On the other hand, the soldiers also removed their hands from their weapons and moved a little away.
As they turned their attention away from Abium, he quietly moved towards the side, unsheathed his sword, and made a simple hand movement.
Even in the night, the Sword of Wrath shone in reddish light and gave off a dangerous aura.
The sword seemed to rotate with fast speed in his hand like lightning, attracting everyone's attention.
Before others could even react, Abium moved closer to the tied horses, slashed at the ropes, and untied them at an incredible speed.
After that, he raised his right leg and kicked at the nearby broken iron shield.
BANG!
A loud noise echoed at the Fortress's entrance, followed by neighs of horses.
Due to the sudden noise and strange light, the horses panicked and ran towards the fortress gate.
The soldiers who stood in the way were thrown down with their spears and trampled. A horse even ran towards a soldier and smacked him on his face.
Due to his unexpected action, every guard ran in a different direction and tried to stop them from entering.
Meanwhile, Abium mounted on a horse from the left side and rode into the Fortress.
He knew that this reckless idea might make Nicolaus believe his words completely.
Before long, almost half of the horses entered the Fortress and started running in different directions.
Abium also entered the Fortress and soon arrived at the large courtyard.
At that moment, the Fortress gate also closed with a loud bang.
"Capture him! Capture him!" Outcries arose from several soldiers.
Clanging sounds echoed as spears and swords pointed in his direction, followed by warning announcements from all sides.
A few soldiers also surrounded the horses and tried to catch the ropes, but none succeeded.
On the other hand, forty to fifty soldiers moved closer to Abium and encircled him.
Upon seeing this, a smirk appeared on Abium's face.
He instantly swung his sword to block the incoming spears and deflected them one by one.
After that, he took a deep breath and shouted,
"Nicolaus! I am Navarre's brother. I came here to help you find more clues about the mysterious Maze, but your soldiers are trying to kill me."
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