Zero to Hero

Chapter 37. Infiltration

"How do I look?" I asked the girls as I emerged from my room wearing the royal guard armor that Carter had managed to get for me.

"I don't like it. You're too plain for such fancy armor," Tina remarked.

"Don't listen to the idiot! You look so handsome!" Candace chimed in, sparking an argument between the two.

"What do you think, Carla?" I inquired, but the horned elf girl simply stared at me blankly, offering no response.

Petting Yami, who was the only one paying me any attention, I realized my attempt to distract myself with the girls had failed miserably, leaving me to dwell on what lay ahead.

"Keep them in check, Yami. You're in charge while I'm gone," I instructed my wolf, who nodded in understanding.

"What do you mean the dog is in charge!" Tina protested as I headed out in my fancy armor.

With the sun already down and the elegant helm covering 80% of my face, my appearance was fully disguised. Arriving at the meetup spot, I was greeted by the man from the night before, who was in the company of a group of boisterous drunk castle guards.

Blending in easily, we headed for the castle, arousing no suspicion. As my guide took his place for his shift, I slipped into the castle grounds with the remaining guards, disappearing without anyone noticing.

Thinking it was too simple for someone to sneak into the castle grounds of the most powerful kingdom in the world, I quickly realized that, other than an idiot like myself, who else would be foolish enough to attempt such an infiltration?

Maybe the delusional racist elf wasn't so delusional after all. As powerful as the kingdom and Zishell were, if he could infiltrate the castle grounds this easily, perhaps assassinating the king and taking over wasn't so far-fetched.

Lost in contemplation about the potential implications of a takeover, I found myself at the side wing of the castle where Clare had lived before. My heart pounded loudly as I cautiously made my way through the garden and peeked inside the open space, checking if anyone was around in the living room.

"What are you doing sneaking around? We didn't request a guard. I'm sounding the alarm if you don't have a good excuse," a voice called out from inside.

"Hey, Chloe. Thought you were Clare for a second there," I replied softly as I removed the helm and stepped into the bright spotlight cast by a light artifact.

"KEN!" Chloe shouted as she rushed toward me.

She hugged me tightly for a good minute or longer before settling me in her dining room and instructing the servants to prepare a meal after learning that I hadn't eaten dinner yet.

"Is Clare around? I hope she and Cecilla are doing alright," I asked nervously, unsure if I was ready for her response.

"Neither is here right now. I don't know if I'm the right person to tell you what has happened. Clare still lives in the city; I can ask her to come here for dinner so you two can discuss things," Chloe replied, her tone betraying a hint of sadness.

Thanking her for her understanding, I shifted the conversation to her well-being and how life had been for the young princess in the past five years.

"How's life treating you since I last saw you?" I asked Chloe, who had blossomed into a beautiful young lady bearing a striking resemblance to Clare, while the familiar servants brought forth many of my favorite dishes.

"I'm in my third year at Yelwraek Academy now. School's going decently. I'm not as talented as Clare or Cecilla, but being a princess comes with pressure to strive for excellence, especially when we have quite a few corrupted and even a blessed individual in my year."