Infiltration

"I know," Lorry replied, also lowering his voice. "The etiquette instructor specifically emphasized that during yesterday's training."

Although the ball was being held today, its host was Duke Negan, a traditional high-ranking nobleman, so naturally, his standards for etiquette and protocol were exacting.

These included the order in which dishes were served, how to attend to different guests, and so on.

Thus, the servants temporarily brought in from various noble households had arrived yesterday afternoon, September 4, to receive special training from a professional etiquette instructor.

The head servant nodded without another word and continued inspecting the others in the line.

They took a dedicated passage to the kitchens.

The head servant let out a relieved breath and turned to Lorry. "I'll have a spare footman fill in for you. Sort yourself out as quickly as you can."

Lorry gave the head servant a grateful smile.

"All right.

"I'll go to the washroom now."

With that, he clutched his stomach and hurried out.

-At Duke Negan's residence, servants were not allowed to share washrooms with their master or his guests. They had separate facilities.

Ten minutes later.

Lorry reached out and pressed the flush button.

He watched clear water swirl out, circle the empty toilet bowl, then disappear forlornly down the drain.

Had this grand duke and his guards never considered that someone might use the ball as an opportunity to sneak around behind their backs?

The thought that a flimsy excuse had earned him a brief spell of freedom left Lorry speechless-even though he was the very person planning to sneak around.

"Still, it's understandable.

"After all, Duke Negan is a great nobleman at the very pinnacle of the kingdom, and he worships the Lord of Storms. His believers are always arrogant and conceited.

"That's why he'll die by assassination."

Lorry stepped out of the washroom and gazed toward the distant ballroom.

His gaze seemed to pierce time and space, letting him see in advance the great nobleman lying breathless, his corpse covered with a white sheet.

Phew... His fate has nothing to do with me... Whatever awaits me later, I need to get those three documents first...

Lorry let out a soft breath and gathered his wandering thoughts.

Pretending to wash his hands, he quickly reviewed the layout of the duke's residence and some of its visible security arrangements, planning a safe route to the study.

-Baron Percival had provided this information.

He was a member of the Conservative Party and occasionally had opportunities to visit Duke Negan.

The duke's residence has a large garden that leads to all the different areas... Each entrance has two guards. According to Baron Percival, they're all ordinary people...

There are plenty of trees and rockeries here, and it's nighttime. The gas streetlamps and moonlight don't provide enough illumination, making it easy for me to hide...

Going straight from here to the duke's study gives me the lowest chance of being spotted...

Lorry repeatedly rehearsed his next moves in his mind. Once he was certain there were no major oversights, he quickly mapped out a route.

He drew a deep breath and silently headed toward the garden.

Meanwhile, inside the ballroom.

Dressed in an expensive gown, Audrey Hall slowed her steps, formed a flawless smile, and looked toward a figure approaching her.

"Hello, Baron Gramir."

"Hello, Miss Hall. You are the brightest, most dazzling jewel at this ball," the pale-blue-eyed Baron Gramir said, smiling as he bowed.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they parted and continued on their respective ways.

Just then, Audrey suddenly paused, puzzlement surfacing in her emerald eyes. "Baron Gramir seems rather different from usual..."

At the garden entrance of the duke's residence.

Lorry stood in the shadow of a wall, quietly watching the area ahead.

Outside a circular gateway a dozen meters away, two guards stood ramrod straight, one on either side-the bulges at their waists made it easy to guess that they carried pistols.

"The servants in the duke's residence each have their own duties. Ordinary servants can't enter here. Only a select few, such as gardeners and personal attendants, are allowed in.

"In other words, I can't blend in and slip through."

Forcing his way in was far too risky, so Lorry naturally ruled it out.

He frowned slightly. A few seconds later, he looked up at the tall garden wall nearby. His eyebrows rose involuntarily, and he nearly unleashed a string of curses in his mind.

Why build such a high wall when you've got nothing better to do? Doesn't it block the light...?

Looking at the nearly four-meter-high wall, which offered no footholds, Lorry decisively abandoned the idea of climbing over it and sighed silently to himself.

"Looks like I'll have to use that thing."

He reached into his pocket and took out a black ring, recalling the instructions Saul the Hunter had given him yesterday.

"The Shadow Ring, also called the Assassin Ring, is a support-type Mystical Item with power equivalent to sequence 8.

"Its Beyonder abilities mainly manifest in two ways:

"Shadow affinity. As long as you wear it on your hand, you gain power over shadows and can briefly merge your body into them.

"Fatal strike. For a short time, the wearer can become as light as a feather and unleash all their strength in a single blow.

"Its drawbacks are:

"If you simply carry it on you, you'll constantly feel irritable.

"Of course, that stays within a normally tolerable range. As long as your willpower isn't too weak, you can easily overcome the effect.

"But if you wear it on your hand, you'll be subjected to constant incitement, which amplifies the malicious thoughts hidden deep within your heart without limit.

"The longer you wear it, the stronger the incitement becomes.

"If you exceed three minutes, the malicious thoughts hidden deep within your heart will erupt completely. You'll lose all reason and act without regard for the consequences."

It makes the malicious thoughts in your heart erupt... Then what would happen if someone utterly kind, without the slightest impurity, wore it...? This idle thought suddenly flashed through Lorry's mind.

He took a deep breath and slipped the Shadow Ring onto the middle segment of his index finger.

The instant he put it on, a mocking voice sounded deep within Lorry's heart.

"Tsk, tsk. What a pathetic wretch.

"You're actually willing to take such a terrible risk for a possibility as insubstantial as mist. Even if you get the three documents Baron Percival asked for, do you think he'll give you the antidote?

"Rather than let someone use you, you'd be better off wearing this ring and going straight

"to assassinate Baron Percival and force him to hand over the antidote!"

Incitement... This is incitement... Lorry fought the urge to listen to the voice, channeled his spirituality to activate the Shadow Ring's ability, and merged into the shadows.

The two guards continued standing dutifully at the entrance.

They never noticed a large mass of shadow silently moving inward through the broad darkness cast by the garden wall.

After slipping past the garden wall, Lorry's first instinct was to remove the Shadow Ring.

He was just about to do so when alarm suddenly gripped him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large golden-haired dog sitting silently in the darkness nearby.