Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Carrying Out the Plan
After gathering his resolve, Zaos began to formulate a parliamentary plan.
[I need to infiltrate the dark elves' military camp to understand the situation on the battlefield before taking part in the war. However, to do that I need to gain an identity recognized by the camp.] Zaos pondered with a serious expression.
He opted against sneaking in using his elemental weaves because he was worried his attempt might alert the powerful elves stationed in the camp.
Using his limited knowledge of military structure from his previous world, Zaos speculated.
[A registered warrior from one of the guardian clans will be a good candidate or someone in charge of handling supplies would suffice.] Zaos stroked his chin.
[I will likely find someone with such an identity in a city close to the border…]
The cities at the border belonged to the guardian clans of the Dark-elf Tribe and they housed the non-combatant members of these clans.
[The security in these cities must be lacking considering how Zente managed to escape with the ancient map. I should be able to infiltrate them without much issue, the only problem is finding my target,] Zaos sighed and rose to his feet.
He walked to his room and prepared a bag filled with essentials for a long journey. As he worked, Zaos contemplated taking a transport service to one of the cities.
Transport services on Krulon utilized some unique and friendly savage beasts as a mode of transport. These services were much faster than traveling on foot and were more comfortable but they cost a considerable sum. Most elves couldn't afford it and the ones that could usually had their private rides.
After giving the idea a brief thought, Zoas dismissed it.
[This is a covert mission, I can't afford to leave any tracks that will expose me if a mishap occurs,] Following this logic, Zaos decided to teleport out of the city and change his appearance.
Since he hadn't visited any of the cities at the border, he could only teleport to locations en route with one of the cities.
Zaos spent the next two days traveling to his destination. He made sure to avoid any elves he came across on his journey, hoping to cover his tracks as much as possible.
Eventually, Zaos arrived at the city belonging to the Mandevon clan; Mandevon City.
As he arrived at the walled-off city, Zaos activated his invisibility and continued forward until he was right before the wall. He had no intention of entering the city through the gate and instead phased through the walls.
Unlike Larek City where the streets were devoid of light sources, Mandevon City's streets had a few dim street lights installed on the roads. This was done to accommodate the limited number of non-dark elf residents in the city.
The street lights combined with the radiance of the stars made the streets look less eerie and haughty. Normally, this would be a good thing but the expressions of some of the black-haired elves suggested otherwise.
As Zaos navigated the streets while still invisible, he would hear an occasional mutter of displeasure from some of the dark elves roaming around the streets at this late hour.
Zaos also felt slightly uncomfortable, [The canopy of the darkness is much better…] He thought.
Although he could no longer be considered a dark elf, prolonged exposure to the weird preferences of the dark elves had altered his perception.
Shaking his head to clear the distracting thoughts, Zaos began to analyze his mission.
[How am I supposed to find my target? It's not like they have a tag revealing their identity on them…] Zaos pondered for a while before deciding to head to a pub.
Following the street signs and the movements of the few drunken pedestrians on the street, Zaos manages to locate a pub.
With his invisibility still active, Zaos walked into the pub by phasing through the walls.
The space inside wasn't large, there were only a few tables in the narrow room alongside the bar counter, but even so, the place was packed full of customers.
As Zaos surveyed the room, he caught sight of three figures clad in dark metal armor. On their armors were crests depicting an ash-colored rose blossoming at the center of a heater shield on their right shoulder plates.
At the sight of the crest, Zaos became extremely excited. That was because the shield on the crest was an exclusive feature reserved for guardian clans!
[I actually found multiple targets on my first attempt,] Zaos smirked and focused his attention on the group to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"I am sick of this meaningless battle! We haven't made any progress after months of fighting! Instead, we keep on getting pushed back with each fight." One of the three elves spoke in an annoyed tone. His voice was quite loud but thankfully, they were seated at a seculated table so the occupants of the pub were unable to hear him.
"Keep your voice down, Almur. I understand your feelings but we have to keep fighting to protect the rest of the tribe." Another one of the dark elf trio spoke. This individual had curly dark hair and an amicable face.
"Still! Can't the higher-ups come up with a useful strategy to take down these vermin? It's like they don't care about us! They keep sending us to tackle dangerous situations without much of a plan leading to many casualties piling up, even my brother…" At this point, the first speaker known as Almur choked back a sob as he clenched his fists tightly.
The curly-haired dark elf and the last individual placed their hands on Almur's shoulder, trying to comfort their companion.
"Jonik wouldn't want us to be sad for him. He was a true hero and he will be remembered by all our comrades for his sacrifice," The last individual said. He had an eye patch covering his missing left eye.
The curly-haired elf patted the shoulder of his companion and suggested, "Let's get some rest for the day." He said as willed to the bar attendant and settled the bill for the drinks they ordered.
The eye-patched dark elf nodded in agreement. He stood up and helped the broken-down Almur to his feet.
"Come on, let's return to the inn," He said as he led the way.
Seeing the group leaving, Zaos decided to tail them to their destination.
The other two members tried their best to lift Almur's spirit on the journey back but their efforts proved futile.
Eventually, they arrived at a two-story inn in a residential area in the city and went inside it.
Zaos tailed them until they had all entered their room. He stood in the hallway motionless as he contemplated.
[These guys are perfect targets. They are low-ranked enough that they won't get much attention from important figures, and although they seem quite popular with their comrades, it wouldn't pose much of a problem.
[Among them, Almur is the best candidate. If he suddenly starts acting a little different, it can be attributed to his depression. Plus, I will be doing him a favor by sending him to the afterlife. He will be reunited with his brother,] Zaos gave a cold smirk as he moved toward Almur's room.
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