Chapter 73: The Quiet Intrusion

Inside the fortress, two guards made their way toward the open courtyard, the evening air cool against their tired faces. One of them stretched his arms above his head with a long, exhausted groan.

"Ha... Seems like today’s work is finally done. When’s the next rotation of guards supposed to arrive? I’m getting sick of this place. I miss my wife and kids."

"Ugh, shut up already, It’s not like you’re the only one waiting to get out of here. Everyone wants to leave."

The first guard shook his head slowly. "You know, honestly, I pity the slaves here. They have no freedom to leave, always working without rest."

The second guard immediately stiffened, glancing around nervously in every direction.

"Keep your voice down, If the captain hears you talking like that, he’ll skin you alive." He hissed under his breath.

"Oh, right, sorry. Forgot myself for a second. Better be careful than end up on the wrong side of that monster of a captain."

The two of them continued walking toward the grand entrance of the fortress, their footsteps echoing softly against the stone path. They reached the door and knocked, expecting the guards currently stationed there to open up so they could switch posts for the night.

The door remained still.

They knocked again, harder this time.

*Knock-Knock*

"Hey, you think something happened to them?"

"Probably just dozed off. We’ve all been running ourselves ragged lately."

"Come on, let’s just give them a quick warning before the captain finds out they slacked off. You know how he gets."

"Sigh... Fine, agreed."

The two guards moved toward a smaller section built into the grand door, pushing the heavy wooden panel upward just enough to crawl through the narrow gap. Once they’d both squeezed through to the other side, they looked around for their fellow guards, expecting to find them half-asleep somewhere nearby.

But strangely, no one was stationed there at all. The guards who were supposed to be standing watch were nowhere to be seen.

*Thud.*

A small pebble rolled across the ground near the base of the distant wall. Both guards turned sharply toward the sound, narrowing their eyes at the completely ordinary-looking stone.

They walked over and picked it up, inspecting it carefully, trying to determine whether it had simply been kicked loose by the wind or thrown deliberately by someone.

"You think an intruder might have shown up and taken them somewhere?" one asked.

The other scoffed. "An intruder? Out here, in the middle of this wasteland? Not a chance."

Just as the words left his mouth, a figure emerged from the shadows along the distant wall.

The stranger wore tattered, dirt-smeared clothing, dried blood covered along several shallow cuts across his shirt. His messy silver hair caught faint traces of moonlight, though from this distance, his face remained mostly obscured.

He walked toward them with an unhurried, almost leisurely pace, one hand casually tucked into his pants pocket, as though strolling through a ballroom rather than a forbidden wasteland.

The guards exchanged a bewildered glance before one of them drew his sword, the blade catching a faint glint of moonlight.

"Who are you?! State your identity! Why are you trespassing in this forbidden territory?"

The boy continued walking at the exact same steady pace, a faint, almost unnoticeable smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Just out for a little stroll. Thought I’d stop by and say hello."

The guards shared another confused look. This wasn’t the usual reaction from someone caught sneaking around a heavily guarded fortress. Most intruders would cower, run, or attack in desperation. This boy, however, seemed almost entirely unconcerned, as though their drawn sword posed no real threat to him at all.

One of the guards stepped forward, tightening his grip on his blade, his tone sharpening into something far more threatening.

"You clearly don’t value your own life. Do you have any idea how many people have vanished here and never returned home? You should have thought twice before setting foot in this place."

The boy let out a soft, melodic chuckle, a sound that felt distinctly out of place against the situation his was in. "Honestly, I probably should have run away the moment I saw this place. But my parents raised me with certain morals I can’t quite ignore, not after watching how these people are suffering here. So, I apologize in advance for what’s about to happen."

The guard’s irritation flared visibly at the flippant response. "What exactly is that supposed to mean? Are you threatening us?"

"Threats? Nah. I’m not petty enough to threaten someone I’ve already defeated. I’ve got more important things to do than waste my time playing around here."

Neo stopped a short distance away, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"Silent bomb... Boom."

The guards frowned, utterly confused by his strange words. Before either of them could make sense of it, a sudden, silent flash tore loose from a small stone clutched in one knight’s gauntlet, concentrated gravity magic detonating violently without a single sound. Both guards dropped instantly. The attack tore through their internal organs from the inside-out, bypassing their armor and hitting only the vital parts underneath.

Blood gushed from both their mouths as they crumpled to the ground, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into nothing.

Neo walked past the fallen guards without stopping, avoiding a closer look. He knew that if he stayed there too long, he’d start thinking about the families waiting for them at home, unaware that they would never return. He couldn’t let himself think about that now. Not with everything still ahead of him.

He shook his head firmly, pushing the thought away, and silently pushed open the grand door, slipping through before carefully closing it behind him.

With slow, measured steps, Neo made his way deeper into the fortress, keeping his presence as faint as possible, his senses stretched wide for any sign of danger lurking within the walls still ahead of him.