The towering walls, the patrolling soldiers, the impenetrable palace—all maintained an air of mystery and grandeur. Even with the Little Princess gone, the palace continued its daily operations without a hint of disruption.
To Aina, who knew the truth, this "normalcy" was terrifying.
"The Princess is missing, yet they patrol like nothing's wrong?" Aina said, eyeing the soldiers clad in full armor, a chill running through her.
She'd hoped this infiltration would be easier, but reality hit her hard.
"They're not protecting the Princess—they're guarding something else," Night Star said, glancing briefly before looking away, unfazed. Her gaze shifted to the dark corners of the palace, her mind recalling the exact steps for infiltrating it.
The armored soldiers moved mechanically, stiffly. Avoiding them wasn't a challenge, but Night Star was wary of others… or rather, two other groups.
Boom!
A massive explosion echoed nearby. Aina tensed. "That must be the cult! They're targeting this place too!"
"Grandma Luo Lin foresaw their move today," Night Star said, unsurprised. "Let's go. This is our chance."
The soldiers were drawn to the explosion's roar. Night Star had been waiting for this moment. Grabbing Aina's hand, she darted toward a path from her memory.
Aina was astonished to find Night Star more familiar with the palace than she was. No—not just familiar. The palace's layout seemed entirely under Night Star's control. Her movements were decisive, while Aina, disoriented, could only vaguely track their direction.
She realized Night Star was different—driven by a clear goal, heading straight for it.
"Miss… Night Star, slow down, I can't… keep up…" Aina panted, barely able to stand after running for so long.
"Can't manifest your class yet?" Night Star asked, standing idly, not even flushed or breathless. To her current body, this was barely a warm-up.
"An astrologer's physical enhancements aren't great…" Aina said with a wry smile, pulling out her Duty Crystal. "Fine, it's better than nothing. I hope I can hold out until we're back at the tower."
She pressed the deep purple gem to her forehead. It fused into her skin, leaving only a small eye-shaped mark visible.
Aina's breathing steadied. She nodded at Night Star. "Miss Night Star, where are we going now?"
If Night Star claimed they were aimlessly wandering, she'd be treating Aina like a fool. Aina wasn't that naive.
No harm in telling her.
"We're going to retrieve the Princess's treasure," Night Star said frankly. "She gave me the passphrase."
"She told you the passphrase!?" Aina exclaimed, shocked beyond belief. Her mind raced, piecing together her version of the "truth." She shook her head, staring at Night Star. "No, that's not right. The Princess wouldn't tell you. Did she give it to Lucille, and he passed it to you?"
Seeing Aina's suspicious look, Night Star opened her mouth, then fell silent. She realized she couldn't argue. She'd known the passphrase from the game, but the actual sequence of events matched Aina's guess.
"Wait, what's that reaction!" Aina said, stunned that her guess was correct. "No way! I got it right? How! What's your deal with Lucille?"
"The passphrase did come from Lucille, but it was the Princess who asked me to retrieve items from the palace," Night Star explained, cutting off Aina's wild imagination. She didn't want to star in some melodramatic soap opera in Aina's head. "We need to hurry. The noise has stopped—those soldiers might return soon."
As soon as she spoke, another explosion roared, louder than the first.
Aina couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like we don't need to rush."
"No," Night Star said, her expression turning grave. "The cult's using a diversion. The first explosion might've been an accident, but the second was deliberate. They've timed it."
"We have to beat them to it."
"Beat them to… where?" Aina asked, bewildered. She'd thought this was a simple reconnaissance mission, not a race against the cult. "It's just the two of us. The cult's top brass are out in force. Can we really do this?"
"Theoretically, we only need to outpace one person," Night Star said, her confidence returning. "The fastest among them."
"Don't worry. They're not familiar with the palace, so they need big distractions to cover their broad sweep. If we stay one step ahead, we'll always be in front."
"Follow me. You've never taken the path we're about to use."
Night Star beckoned Aina, moving a stone on the ground to reveal a hidden tunnel beneath an unremarkable slab.
"This is our path?" Aina stared at the dark opening, her heart sinking. Without Night Star by her side, she'd never enter such a place. "W-Wait, let me light it first."
Aina raised her palm, conjuring a card from her fingertip. The card's face was blank, emitting only a soft, white glow.
The surrounding palace lights were bright, so Aina's faint glow wouldn't attract attention. Still, she quickly slipped into the tunnel to avoid any mishaps.
Night Star scanned the area, finding no anomalies, then followed Aina inside, sliding the stone back into place.
This was the path the Little Princess had used to escape the palace.
It was also a route Night Star could navigate blindfolded, having traversed it countless times in the game.
With this shortcut, Night Star was confident she could reach the palace's core before anyone else.
There lay the royal treasure, coveted by many—mana materials, Duty Crystals, rare magical artifacts, and mechanical constructs, the foundation of the Kingdom of Fire and Steel's thousand-year legacy.
And, at its heart, the true core that sustained the kingdom's existence: the Sacred Flame.