Back on the ship, Alka also laid out the entire plan to everyone, telling them to get ready.

"Put the research on hold for the next few days, get some proper rest, and save up your strength.

The enemy isn't stupid. We'll have to go all out." Alka said, giving Simon a pointed look.

Only after seeing Simon nod did he withdraw his gaze.

Everything quietly waited for the day the festival began.

...

Everyone moved quickly.

"The Prince is back? And they're holding some kind of thanksgiving festival for the Holy Mother?" An old woman buying vegetables saw the stall owner chatting with a few others and cut in.

"That's right, it should be starting any time now."

"The Holy Mother? I'd rather put my faith in the White Mist Serpent of the Dream Realm, the one who can protect our peace." As she said this, the old woman even made a praying gesture.

Seeing her movement, a young man beside her glanced over and said flatly, "Haven't seen anyone protecting our peace these last few years."

"Hmph, that's just the palace…" The old woman, angered by his words, started to snap back.

Before she could finish, her husband, who had come along with her, clapped a hand over her mouth.

Her husband stared at her in alarm. "You trying to get us killed?"

The woman seemed to come to her senses as well, nervously craning her head around to look, then tapped her own temple.

"Whether you go or not, we're going. I hear there'll be free food, and wine to taste." The stall owner was packing up his stall as he spoke casually.

As he spoke he even made a half-assed, full-of-holes prayer gesture.

"Praise the Holy Mother." His tone was just as casual.

"Free?"

"Of course it's free."

"Then we're going too."

"Didn't you say you only worship…"

"Alright, alright, stop nagging. The White Mist Serpent won't care about this. The Divine can see where my true faith lies."

Watching the couple hurry off, the stall owner smiled faintly.

Scenes like this played out all over. In just a single day, almost the whole city knew the festival was starting—and that there would be free food and drink.

The free stuff drew in countless commoners, all coming to take part in the rites.

The recent oppression had left them all needing some way to blow off steam.

By now the altar for the ritual had already been set up outside the gates of the Holy Mother Church.

The Priest and the Prince were both standing on the platform, making their preparations.

From the terraces not far off, and from the rooftops of various taverns, one could see nobles and magnates lounging comfortably, eyes turned this way.

"Why do you think our Prince chose to come back now of all times? Is he tired of living?"

"He's the Holy Mother's Saint. As long as he doesn't do anything too outrageous, no one's going to pick a fight with him.

…It's not worth it."

A slightly balding middle-aged man beside him took a sip of wine. "All we need to do is quietly watch things play out. It doesn't have much to do with us."

"Not much to do with us?" A noblewoman nearby let out a soft laugh, her expression faintly scornful. "When things get big enough, no one gets to stay out of it. Better to be prepared early."

With that, she lifted her skirts and rose to leave.

As the crowd swelled, more guards were dispatched to the area. Among them, one could see elite soldiers from the Royal Capital and the palace itself.

Their main duty wasn't protecting the Prince onstage or members of the Holy Mother Church, but guarding the areas where nobles sat and watched.

That way, with so many commoners gathered, dangerous elements wouldn't be able to slip in and threaten the nobles' safety.

More and more commoners were streaming toward the place.

As the crowd grew, people who hadn't planned to come found themselves watching curiously from the edges.

At this moment, aside from a few servants and essential guards, the entire palace complex had been almost completely emptied.

Alka and the others appeared on the street. There weren't many people moving back and forth now, since most of them had already gone to gather around the festival.

Feeling the noise rolling in from afar, Alka and the others were not affected in the slightest. They stepped onto the straight main road and headed for the palace in the distance.

They soon arrived at the base of the palace.

They gazed at the largest architectural complex in the Royal Capital: gray-white stone towers piled into high buildings with sharp spires.

Secretive reliefs were carved along them, flaunting the palace's nobility.

Gardens, fountains, and works of statuary were scattered throughout.

On the low walls guarding the palace, elite soldiers walked their patrols back and forth.

"Strangers, leave this place. This isn't somewhere you can just walk into!"

The two soldiers at the gate immediately tightened their grips on their weapons, watching Alka's group warily.

Even though Alka and the others hadn't come right up to them, just stood near the wall looking at the palace.

"Friend, no need to get so worked up. I was just curious what the palace looks like." Jason spread his hands with a grin.

"Now you've seen it. Get lost!"

The soldier looked at Alka and the others without the slightest courtesy.

Jason shrugged. "Yeah, I've seen it. All I can say is, for some backwater borderland, this fits. This 'palace' isn't even as good as my grandma's cowshed back in the countryside."

Faced with the soldier's foul mouth, Jason shot back without the slightest politeness.

"What? You damned…" The soldier flared up and started forward with his weapon, but his companion hurriedly grabbed him.

"Don't go looking for trouble."

"Didn't you hear what he—" Before he could finish, a figure walked out from the gate.

It was Balazs.

"Honored guests, you've arrived. Lord Kriel has been waiting for you."

Balazs lowered himself, bowing deeply with exaggerated respect.

Seeing this, the soldier who had just been fuming stared, eyes bulging. Fear flashed across his gaze. He turned toward Alka's group and quickly bowed his head.

Alka nodded and led his people straight inside.

They walked past the soldiers in silence, without a word.

Only after Alka and the others had gone in did Balazs, who came last, glance back at the soldier.

Feeling Balazs's gaze, the soldier's face was already slick with sweat.

"Hope you're lucky," Balazs said evenly, then followed them in.

As soon as they were gone, the soldier collapsed to the ground like his legs had given out.

His colleague beside him sighed helplessly, then waved to the soldiers on the wall to come help carry him off.

At some point, faint pink mist had begun to coil around the walls and around the bodies of the soldiers everywhere.

It drifted along wherever Alka walked.

But the soldiers seemed completely unaware, still patrolling the walls, repeating the duties they had carried out countless times before.

Numb and rigid, their minds far away.

Alka and the others walked through the palace's twisting corridors like this, unhindered.

Led by Balazs, they arrived in front of a huge set of doors.

There were two soldiers at the entrance as well.

These two wore heavy Armor, and their strength had already reached Tier Three Perfection.

They'd hit the limit of what an ordinary person could achieve.

They didn't so much as acknowledge Balazs as he approached.

Facing these two soldiers, Alka simply turned and said to the people behind him, "Pororo, Chadite, Matilda—you three come with me. The rest of you stay outside."

The two soldiers might as well have been deaf; they gave no sign they'd heard a thing.

Alka brushed past them, pushed the great doors open, and led the others inside.

The instant the doors swung open, the two soldiers' vision went black and they toppled to the sides, sinking into sleep.

From beginning to end, they never understood what was happening.

At the same time, outside, the other soldiers were collapsing one after another like dominoes, falling where they stood and breaking into the snores of deep sleep.