My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 261: Heavy Is The Crown (3)

"Have any of you met anyone from the palace?" Kace asked as he turned to look at his tribe. 

Not a single one of them replied in the affirmative. A few mentioned that there had to be someone around since there was always food available in the barracks cafeteria at certain times. However, it was always already placed out for them whenever they arrived. They never came into contact with whoever had prepared the mysterious food. 

Kace was already on guard before, but now he was outright wary of the structure before them. 'Sophia should be in there along with the army. It should be safe to enter since nothing has happened to them so far. Sophia did mention that she was told that the ruler would not meet her. However, she never mentioned if it was actually someone from inside the palace.'

Kace thought about it, and he had the feeling that she mentioned that the message had been delivered by a guard, but his memory was spotty on the matter. 'She definitely did not mention that whoever it was came from inside the palace though.' Kace was sure on this point, what did it all mean?

"Everyone, be on guard at all times once we enter. I don't think things are as simple as they seem here." Kace felt the tension that his words brought to the group. They were no longer idly fantasising about filling their bellies. 

Kace summoned up his courage and decided to march into the grounds as though nothing fazed him. 'If it's something we're not meant to be aware of, then it could be a trap. I can't let them catch on that we suspect anything. I'll have to fill Sophia in right away. Maybe she'll have her own take on it.'

With that thought in mind, Kace crossed the threshold into the palace grounds. When he crossed over that invisible line, a feeling of emptiness washed over his senses. Just like how a wild animal would feel that something was wrong if there were no natural sounds, Kace was getting the same sensation from the palace right now.

The palace seemed to try and draw his gaze like some hungry beast as he did his best to ignore it. Instead, he opted to lead the Tu'Thrag around the right side of the palace towards the barracks. He made sure to keep a moderate distance from the palace. If something were to suddenly emerge from it, he wanted to make sure that they would have enough time to react to the threat.

With each step that they took everyone felt the tension slowly grinding against their mental fortitude. They were on high alert for anything suspicious, which was not a comfortable state to remain in for long periods. Some of them even broke out in a cold sweat as they considered that they had openly walked around here in a potentially dangerous area without any concern for their own safety.

What really got to them was that they still would not have noticed anything was wrong if Kace had not pointed it out. It just elevated his own prestige as their Lord in their eyes. 'Leave it to the Lord to spot something like this! We can't go wrong if we just follow his lead!' This was the collective sentiments of the Tu'Thrag tribe at this moment in time. 

Kace had no idea that he just sparked a few fanatics to take root in his tribe. To the level that some of them were now regarding him as a god. It was a bit far for them to go to such lengths, but Kace was blissfully unaware of this point right now. 

Kace continued to mentally note everything that stood out as unusual. He wanted to make sure that his suspicions were more than just that. He wanted more proof of the feeling that he had. Although the palace was not all that large, Kace noted that only three rooms seemed to be lit from inside. Which was far less than you would expect even for a building that size. 

Just any servants alone going about their business inside the palace should need more than that. No matter how long he stared at these rooms as they continued through the grounds. Kace failed to spot the movement of any shadows inside these rooms that would actually confirm that something was inside. 

'At some point, I'll actually have to go in there. However, doing so without more information would just be plain stupid. It would make sense to send a squad inside to scout it out, but that might put them in danger as well as piss of the ruler if they're actually in there.' Kace knew that this idea was literally playing with fire, but he had no ideas right now. 

"Shadow, pick out a group and send them to infiltrate the palace. I want to know what's going on in there." Kace whispered as he caught sight of the barracks building. 

"I'll get right on it. Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing goes wrong." Shadow replied resolutely.

"No. It's best if you don't join them this time. We don't know what to expect, and I can't risk losing you at this point. I'll need you close by in case you can detect something that I can't."

Shadow looked doubtful at this point. 'Detect something that you can't? Are you kidding me? Who was it that just pointed out the possible danger just now?' Shadow got the feeling that Kace was underestimating himself. From his perspective, ever since Kace recovered in the Treant's grove, he seemed to be filled with a new sense of danger.

It completely blew away the sense that he gave off before. In fact, Shadow even wondered if the tribe should be seeking protection from him rather than trying to defend him! 'At least our Lord certainly lives up to the term 'Monster'! I've never heard of such a remarkable speed of growth.' Shadow quietly congratulated himself for pledging their tribe to such an entity. 'Things are only looking up for us if we can get past the current problem.'