Chapter 496 – You stupid idiots! (2)

Jopis smiled as beautifully as a painting at Cale's statement.

Click.

"That's right. One of the four meeting areas is certain to have a meeting right now."

Cale and Jopis had aimed for this moment on purpose.
Cale started to speak.

"Based on the information from the Mercenaries Guild, the administrative executives should be having an early meeting here today. They also said that the military executives will not have a meeting for a while."

There were mercenaries all around the continent. They had a network that could reach everywhere.
That was why it was easy for one of them to connect with a palace attendant.

It was also easy to hear about the palace meeting schedule from that attendant. This was because the Molden Kingdom had attendants cleaning up after high-ranking individuals instead of royal servants.

Cale and Jopis were able to come up with a plan with all of the information they gathered.

"Administrative executives and no military."

Tasha mumbled before starting to smile.

Lots of people would be inside and outside if there was a meeting going on.
That meant it was the perfect time to gather attention or cause a ruckus.
And if the military side was not present…

Her gaze headed toward Cale who was pushing a square plate up with Jopis.

"It's perfect to cause a ruckus?"
"Yes."

Cale answered before motioning to Choi Han with his chin. Choi Han squeezed through some people to push the plate up in Cale's place.
Cale brushed the dirt off his hands as he started to speak.

"That is why… As soon as this opens, just do as I told you to do and go where I told you to go."
– I understand, human!

Raon answered in his mind while the others answered with their gazes. It could not be helped.

Screeeech-

The square plate was lifted with a quiet noise.
The Dark Elves had their Fire Elementals disappear. Sunlight started to enter through the tiny crack. The group looked outside the crack.

Cale whispered as everybody kept completely quiet.

"Open it."

His voice made everyone tense as if they had heard thunder.
Choi Han put more strength into his hands.

Clunk!

The square plate disappeared with a loud noise and an opening big enough for two or three adults to fit through appeared.

"Raon, Choi Han. Go!"

Cale shouted as he exited the path.
The sun shined in his eyes as he quickly located the central plaza and the four palaces.
Only the palace he expected was the administrative executives' palace was busy and full of people.

'It's going as planned.'

Cale's eyes sparkled.
It was at that moment.

"I, intruders!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Hurry over to the Knights Brigade!"

Cale could see the guards and knights who were protecting the plaza entrance and the four palaces become shocked after noticing them.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii- piiiiiiiiiiiiiii-

One of the knights quickly blew into a flute to sound the alarm.
Cale felt people continuing to come out of the path behind him and pointed to a location.

"Target."

He started with the first task.

– Aim completed!

Cale started to speak after hearing Raon's voice.

The guards were chaotic after seeing them suddenly appear… The knights who were quickly running toward them…

Click, click.

"What's going on?"
"Why is there so much chaos during a meeting?"

The secretaries of the high-ranking administrators frowning while looking out the window…
The annoyed high-ranking administrators peeking out the window…

Cale's loud voice echoed in all of their ears.

"Explode!"

Everybody stiffened up in shock.

"Damn it!"
"It's a terrorist with a bomb!"

They all then quickly covered their heads or flattened down on the ground to avoid the explosion.
They then looked toward where Cale was pointing.

"No!"
"…My goodness!"

They finally realized where Cale was pointing.

– I'm going!

Cale heard Raon's voice and soon saw a large ball of mana shooting up into the sky.

Baaaaaaaaaang-!

It exploded in the sky.
It was extremely large for an explosion that instantly happened. It gave everybody who was looking at it the chills.

"Hmm?"
"…What the…?"

It also made the shocked individuals flinch.
The explosion happened in the sky and not where they were expecting. It happened in the sky where it did not harm them at all.
However, they subconsciously looked toward it because the explosion was so large.

The people at the palace were not the only ones looking at the explosion.

"Get started."

Ron gave the order to his assassins…

"Everybody remember the Mercenary King's words?"
"Ruff, ruff!"
"Aigoo, these puppies are so smart. But why did they call so many of their friends over?"

The one hundred mercenaries started to move.
And finally…

"Let's go."
"Time for war."

Outside the castle… The hidden warriors started to head toward the castle.

However, the Molden palace knights who had been anxious after seeing the explosion quickly snapped out of it and calmed down. They quickly figured out the situation.

"Intruders, intruders have appeared!"
"Grab those bastards!"

They didn't know why the intruders caused an explosion in the sky, but they first needed to capture the intruders.
The robed Jopis appeared next to Cale at that moment.

Cale turned his head and Cale and Jopis made eye contact in that short moment. Jopis smiled.

"Do it. I'm sure my ancestors would understand."

She then pulled the hood off her head and walked forward.

"Everybody stop!"

She shouted and the guard knight captain, as well as everybody looking out the window, all had wide eyes as they froze in shock.

"H, how is Princess Jopis-!"

In the short moment that someone's shocked voice echoed through the area…
That was the opening for Cale.

"Second target!"

Clang-

Choi Han walked past Cale and pulled out his sword.

Tap.

He kicked off the ground as soon as he walked past Cale.
Cale started to speak at the same time.

"Explode!"
– I'm destroying it!

Choi Han swung his sword.
The eyes of the people who noticed where Choi Han was aiming opened wide.

"O, over there-"
"No!"

Choi Han was swinging toward the direction Cale had pointed at earlier and shocked everyone.
Knights charged forward to stop him and some administrators tried to climb out the window but failed.

Choi Han's sword slashed from top to bottom.
And then…

"…T, the statue-"
"The statue has been split in half!"

The statue of the first king was cut in half.

"Let's go!"
"Ruff!"

Jopis and Fluffy started to run. Cale was next to them with the others surrounding them to protect them.

The statue that had been split in half then fell to the side.

Boooom!

The statue that used to be one created arcs on both sides as the now two halves fell.

Baaaaaang!
Baaaaang-!

Two large fire arrows hit the two parts of the statue and caused an explosion.
It was Raon's magic.

Cale lifted his head.
He could see knights charging toward them through the fire caused by the statue.

"Get them!"
"No! We must stop them! Kill them if it is too hard to capture them!"
"We must at least capture former Princess Jopis! This is a rebellion! A revolt!"

He then heard guards and knights running toward them and shouting behind him as well.
Cale lowered his head.
He could see Jopis's hands shaking as she moved the device to open the door to the maze.

"Please feel free to take your time. It is fine."
"There's no need."

She shook her head at Cale's statement and removed her hands.

"I'm already done."

Booboobooooooom-

A small path appeared underneath the platform the cut statue had been on.
Then a staircase appeared.

"Go in!"

Cale gave the order and quickly entered the stairs. Jopis and Fluffy were already running in front of him.

"Choi Han!"
"Cale-nim, everybody is inside!"
"Raon!"

Cale confirmed everybody was inside before calling Raon as planned.

"Third target!"
– Alright!

Large black mana spears shot out toward the open path.
They then crashed into the ceiling of the path.

Baaaaaaaaaang-!

There was yet another large explosion.

"No! The entrance is destroyed!"
"Inform her majesty! Sound the Grade-1 alarm!"

The knights were shouting. However, their voices were drowned out by the explosion.
Jopis started to shout as well.

"The ceiling of the stairs will break soon! Move faster if you don't want your f*cking heads hit by rocks!"

The ceiling of the stairs was crumbling starting from the entrance.

"Tasha!"
"Yes, sir!"

Tasha picked Jopis up after hearing Cale call her.

"Thank you very much."
"Ruff!"

Jopis elegantly thanked her while the puppy somehow knew to jump into Choi Han's arms. Choi Han easily held Fluffy in his arms as Cale activated the Sound of the Wind and started to speak.

"We are increasing our speed."

The rest of the group all sped up as well.
The ceiling of the stairs started to crumble even faster.

Booooooooooo-m!

Once everybody in the group made it out of the stairs…

Boooom!

The crumbling ceiling stopped at the end of the stairs. Jopis looked at this and started to speak.
She still looked elegant while being carried over Tasha's shoulder.

"The ceiling of the stairs and the ceiling of the maze were created differently. The ceiling of the maze will not break because of something like this."

She then got down and pointed forward.

"It's over here."

Cale could see a maze so large that he could not see the other end in an area with a high ceiling.
Jopis looked at the group and continued to speak.

"This maze has thousands of paths. People who don't know the way will get lost and die."

Cale made eye contact with her.

"This place has the item you are looking for. But it is easy to die here."
"Why is it easy to die here?"

An elegant smile appeared on Jopis's face.

"There are odd monsters throughout the maze and the path is very complicated and difficult to memorize. I'm also certain Elisneh's subordinates are hiding somewhere in this large maze in order to prepare for intruders."

She was not done.

"Furthermore, the large walls that make up the maze…"

The walls that were at least three times Cale's height and were also as thick as two or three people standing side to side.

"It is not easy to break those walls, but even if you manage to do so, there is dead mana liquid inside the walls. It is easy to die from being poisoned by the dead mana that blasts out when you break the wall. That is why you need someone who knows the path to guide you….Commander-nim?"

Jopis stopped talking and looked toward the snickering Cale. She then flinched as if she realized something.

"Heh."

Cale chuckled and walked over to two people wearing robes and put his hand on their shoulders.
One of the people took off the robe to reveal a smiling Tasha underneath.
The other person was Mary.
The other Dark Elves in the group stepped forward as well. The others opened up a path for them.

Cale looked at them and started to speak.

"Now then, we will only charge forward."

Cale pointed toward the maze.
Whether the walls were thick or the path was complicated and difficult to get through…
Regardless of whether there were enemies or monsters here and there…

"Destroy everything."

None of it mattered if they just destroyed everything as they charged forward.
The fake World Tree was said to be at the center of the maze.
It was faster to charge straight forward than to go through this winding maze when the enemies may come at any moment.

"Son of a..."

Cale turned his head after hearing the elegant swearing. Jopis smiled as if she had never swore and gracefully started to speak.

"It's for the best. I welcome such crazy actions."

Mary started to speak at the same time.

"It is easy to charge forward. It is easy to destroy everything."
– We'll pierce through! I'll pierce through everything in a straight line!

Cale found this six-years-old Dragon's shout and the GPS-like voice very reliable.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]