Chapter 330: Prince Toni

"Any news?"

After returning back to the capital, I asked Celestine if she received some news from her subordinates. Hopefully, they found where the real king is imprisoned.

"Because of what happened after Queen Carmen's breaking through to expert level, many cult members died. Thanks to that, the security is increased. But only from the cult members. The normal guards don't even notice anything." Celestine said.

"And how did your subordinates know that?" I asked.

"My subordinates were not that well-known in the cult, but some people still remember their face. They pretend to still be in the cult while feeling depressed because of my death, and that's how they get the news."

I guess that should be expected. Not all cult members well-known to other cult members, so it's good to pretend to still stay in the cult. But if they got caught, there will be danger as well. Although I don't know them at all, I hope they are doing fine.

"Tell them to be careful of being found out that they have betrayed the cult. What about the castle?"

"No one dare to go near the castle even if they are pretending to still be in the cult.  Though they heard that after the fight for the throne started and most of the royal children leave the castle, no one else has ever leave the castle. Which mean the one you're looking for might still be there." Celestine said.

"I hope Toni is still alive and well…" Fabio said.

Toni is his brother who helped Fabio and Luna to escape the castle. And he's the one I'm going to meet tonight.

Even if he's alive, it will still be dangerous since we don't know if he's already joined the cult or not. Maybe the fake king is already tried to persuade him? In any case, just sneaking in is difficult. And I can't make any trouble right away since that will only it harder to rescue the real king. I can only create trouble after knowing his location, how to get there, and how to escape.

Well, escaping is easy with my portal. But going there… maybe I'll get Victoria to sneak in? She's a slime, so no one will notice her. And she can blend in with the environment. She just needs to shapeshift into something else when someone is nearby.

Or maybe I can get Sonia to bring Victoria's clone with her and sneak into the castle? With Sonia's upgrade in being a ghost, she should be able to do that. But her presence is much clearer than Victoria's.

I don't think that's a good idea. I can't let Victoria or Sonia meet Prince Toni because that will only create suspicion. I need to meet him myself, and show him the proof that I'm with Fabio.

"Fabio, is there anything that can prove your brother that I'm your ally?" I asked Fabio.

"I have one. This handkerchief is something that he gave me in the past when we were kids for my birthday. He will know that you're with me. Take it with you."

Fabio gave me a handkerchief with his initial printed. A big 'F' as in F**ker.

…thanks to experimenting on the effect of the trees with red leaves on Victoria, I learned many words. How about F in Fabulous?

"Then, I will scout the area and try to make contact with Toni. Fabio, you will return to your job. In case that I will take action to rescue your father tonight, I will contact you and prepare to do some action while disguising myself as 'Albertus'."

"Understood. I'll go back to work now. What about father's body double?" Fabio asked.

"How strong is he and what are his elements?"

I asked about the gatekeeper that we will swap with the real king.

"Weak. Just intermediate level in earth and beginner level in fire. He has no motivation to get stronger. He just abuses his status as gatekeeper." Fabio said.

Intermediate level, huh? I guess it will be easy to take care of.

"Then, I will take care of him later. Depend on the king's condition, he might die right away or suffer for a while. I'll be leaving then. Celestine, you can go back to the inn or meet your subordinates."

"I'll tell my people to stay here to spy on this kingdom. Is it fine to give them Sonia's soil?" Celestine asked.

"Sure. That will be great. Other kings don't even have spies here since they mysteriously disappear. Here you go. See you later."

After grabbing some accessories filled with Sonia's soil, I ride on Spot's back to the castle. I have him camouflaged us both in case someone is looking. As for expert level mages' detection, I just need to fly higher than they can detect.

From what I learned, each mage has different range for their detection. But both Veronica and Celestine can detect up to 30 meters. And they are among those with higher range. That mean I should be safe if I look from 40 meters.

"Spot, fly slower. And go a little higher. Victoria, give me some Blobbies."

"You're going to throw them?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. Just to test if there are expert level mages around."

For now, I dropped one Blobby to ten meters of a guard. That guard didn't notice it. That Blobby was also being covered by my Air Barrier, so it doesn't make any sound when it hit the ground. The only way to detect it is to see it directly or have great detection ability.

Then, I dropped another Blobby while the previous one is disappearing. This time, it's five meters to the guard. And the guard still didn't notice it.

I should have practice it with either Veronica or Celestine before…

Maybe that guard is not expert level mage? I'll try to find someone who seems strong.

Though I don't know how to decide that. I just keep throwing Blobbies five meters away from everyone I see. But those inside the castle, I need to sneak in first. And that will be difficult.

Oh? I found him. That Toni is in a chamber with balcony. Can I have him get to the balcony? And the location… there are some guards, but they are too far from his chamber. The closest ones are the two in front of his room. Why would there be guards protecting his room in the castle? Must be the fake king's order.

I cover my whole body with Aura, and jumped from Spot's back to the balcony. As for checking the guards, they don't matter anymore. Though unfortunately, I didn't find where the real king is located.

I think it will be suspicious if I suddenly casted Air Barrier here. The expert level mages would be able to notice when I casted it. That mean we can't speak too loudly.

I knocked on the glass door lightly while making sure the guards at the entrance can't hear, while showing the handkerchief to Toni.

Toni heard my knock, looked at the balcony and was surprised to see me standing here. But he didn't leak any voice after seeing the handkerchief.

He unlocked the door, and I entered his room.

"You're Toni? I'm Roy. Fabio told me that we can trust you." I said in low voice.

"But can you be trusted?" He asked back. I suppose that's to be expected.

"The other countries' leaders have found out that the current king is a fake. And Fabio has informed us what he knows. King Albert of Tatrama sent me here to rescue the real king if he's still alive. And I have met Empress Lynn and King Henry as well. Fabio said that you stayed in the castle after faking Fabio's and Luna's death. Do you have any ideas about this fake king? And do you know where the real king is?" I asked.

"…the more I meet this impersonator, the more I think that he's a fake. As expected of brother Fabio to realize that sooner. I should have gone with him. About this impersonator, he's acting like father. And like I said, he's acting. So, every move he made is carefully calculated. Even greetings. But because I have been suspicious since Fabio told me, I know for sure that he's not the real father. And it seems that this impersonator is closely related to that Evil Cult who attacked cities in Tatrama. As for the real father, I don't know exactly where he's being held. But I see this impersonator entering a warehouse discreetly several times. If father is still alive, that might be where he's locked." Prince Toni said.

"Where is this warehouse and what's being stored there?" I asked.

"It's over there to the north. As for what's being stored, the warehouse was owned by a merchant who is well-known for his love for magic items."

"Magic items… there might be some good items to steal as well. How about you? Do you want to escape this place?" I asked.

"I'd love to, but I think you need someone to get you news from the inside. I'll stay here until I had enough. If only there's a way for us to contact each other."

"There is. Come to the balcony. That place is safe since no one is near that place."

The two of us get to the balcony, and I called Sonia there who introduced herself to Prince Fabio.

"She's our main way of communication. Not just to me, other kings and Fabio himself are connected through her. Whenever you have something important, just tap this brooch. She will come. But make sure that you are in a safe location before calling her. And since it's dangerous for her to come here, I will have someone else in this city where she will appear. Then, she will come to you. You just need to wait until she appears so you can relay messages to us." I explained to Prince Toni.

"I see. Using a ghost is to be a good idea of communication. What will you do next?" Prince Toni asked.

"Rescuing your father. But I need look at his condition first, and then I will create a big trouble."

Thus, I explained our plan to rescue the real king. I hope this will work as planned.