I sat with Lark and Lant, and they bombarded me with questions about my disappearance this whole week. I lied to them, and as usual, they believed me.
During that hour and a half, I laughed with them and wanted to memorize their faces, their expressions, their laughter, their voices. I relived all my memories with them, the sorrows and the joys. Hmm, that hour and a half had a significant impact on me, but I don't follow my heart; I follow my mind. On the other hand, I've set a plan and a path, and I must follow it to the end.
"Hmm, are you sure, boy? Doing this might make you regret it in the future."
"I don't regret anything, Odin, and I never will. Whatever path I have to take, I must sacrifice and not regret it, otherwise I won't be able to complete it."
After the hour and a half was over, I lied to them and went to Asars's office.
I entered Asars's office, and he looked at me. "Hmm, there you are now. There are many guards, but I managed to find someone whose reputation doesn't frighten him, Othman. Well, I'm Asars after all. What is it? Difficult for people, easy for me. Anyway, this man will take you in his cart and pass through the checkpoint, and during that time make sure you hide well. After you pass through the checkpoint, you will enter the palace, and everything will be on your shoulders. Good luck, boy."
"Good, so there is a way to enter then. Thank you for the information, Asars, even though it is useless."
Asars looked at me angrily. "You bastard! Do you know how difficult it was to find information like this and find a way in?"
I looked at him sarcastically and said, "Didn't you say it was easy, and that what's difficult for others is easy for you?"
He became so angry at my words that you could see fire coming out of his eyes. "You idiot! Get out of here! You have a mission to carry out. Wait, take this paper; it says the meeting place. Now get the hell out of my office!"
As I left through the door, I looked around and thought, "Damn, I'm going to miss this atmosphere."
I opened the door and, before leaving, said in a clearly sad tone, "Goodbye, Asars. Despite all those difficult times, you were here. Thank you, despite your foolishness and lies, you bastard."
Asars looked at the boy strangely. He knew it was a goodbye, but he didn't accept it, but he wouldn't show any feelings to the boy. "Get lost, you rascal! You're going on a mission, not to war. Why all the drama?"
I smiled and left the office. After that, I went and took my clothes and a dagger that Asars had placed there, and a small piece of cloth which I tied around one of my teeth. I put on my black clothes and went from the rooftops to Osman's palace.
The palace walls were very large and well-protected. There were many guards, and one very large gate. Many merchants and visitors passed through it, so the guards were under a lot of pressure. Every vehicle, whether entering or leaving, had to be searched.
I watched from a nearby rooftop. Then I went down to the meeting place between myself and the man who would let me in.
I arrived and looked around; no one was there. I waited. I stayed on the rooftop for about five minutes. A vehicle arrived, full of cargo and quite large—clearly a freight cart.
Then I looked at the man who got out. He was dark-skinned, with long hair, tall, and a slightly large nose. His features were unpleasant to me. It was none other than the cheating merchant, Ghassan.
Then Ghassan made strange gestures. "Hey, Cyrus, where are you?"
"Huh? Is he stupid or what? Why does he have to be the one to let me in? Damn it! Damn it! Do they want me dead or what?"
Then I went down, and he saw me. "Good, good. Now go." "Get inside the cart and hide among the goods. They won't find you. The items are arranged so well that they won't find you."
"Thank you, Ghassan." After my words, I entered his cart, and it was very bad and the place was cramped, and I was breathing with difficulty.
On top of all this, I had to endure his singing and his many words, but it was something I could bear anyway.
After about half an hour, I could hear things in a muffled voice.
One of the guards, who was large in build and whose laziness was evident, said in a rough voice, "Wait, owner of the green cart, what is your merchandise?"
Ghassan replied in his usual annoying voice, "I am Ghassan. I always pass by here. It seems you are new. I sell spices, clothes, accessories, and valuable things."
The guard replied angrily, clearly tired and irritated by Ghassan's voice, "I don't care who you are, and it's none of your business whether I'm new here or not. Now stop your carriage so we can search it."
I listened to this conversation with my hand on my heart. 'Damn it, they'll find out about me before I even enter!'
Ghassan replied confidently, "I wouldn't advise it, guard. My carriage contains many things that Lady Sa'la would like."
Upon hearing his voice, the guard's face showed clear confusion. Whatever Sa'la was, it was obvious she wasn't a good person.
Then the guard said, "O-Okay, you can go through."
'Huh? How the hell?' I was overjoyed despite the circumstances and the stifling atmosphere.
Then Ghassan started the carriage. "Come on, come on,' and the horse began to walk. As we walked, he said in a calm voice, 'I'll tell you something that might be useful to you inside the palace, Cyrus. Sa'la is Othman's wife, and she is vile, extremely cruel, and spiteful. If you become aware that you're in a bad situation and one of the guards sees you, say you're her servant, and he'll let you go."
Then he drove his carriage calmly until he entered and led The cart to an empty place. "Hey, sis, hey, boy, the place is empty, you can get out." Then I got out of the cart quickly and looked around. The place was safe at the moment.
"Thank you, Ghassan. Now I will continue on my way alone."
He grabbed my hand and said, "Wait, boy, what do you think about coming in with me as an assistant and unloading the goods? This will allow you to come in with me and get past the guards."
"Thank you for your good intentions, Ghassan, but as soon as something goes wrong, I won't die alone, you will be with me. This plan is not good."
I looked around. The place was very luxurious. The palace was huge and white. For me, there was a strange feeling of not belonging and a feeling of alienation. This is the feeling of being poor and used to bad situations. Anyway, there were no guards in the area where I was. It seems that there was a shortage of manpower for some reason.
Anyway, Odin, you have been silent since the beginning and you are flipping in the air and playing quickly. Tell me which is the best way to enter the palace.
"Kill one of the servants and wear his clothes. That way, they won't recognize you."
"Huh?" I felt a strange, almost frightening sensation at Odin's words. Killing—I've never killed anyone in my life, and now the feeling that I'm forced to kill to complete the mission was terrifying and strange. I felt hesitant. "
Odin, isn't there really another way?"
Odin looked at me with contempt and said angrily, "Hmm, another way? There is another way. Kill yourself now, you fool. We're in the middle of the enemy's castle, and you're already wasting your time and increasing the risk of being discovered by standing here like an idiot. There's no way. You must kill. You're the one who said you're on a path you must sacrifice. Now, either kill a servant and wear his clothes, or prepare to die like a cowardly, pathetic fool."
I felt angry. I felt my contradiction, how I was now afraid to kill even though I came to the castle knowing that I shouldn't just kill guards or servants to avoid being discovered, but that I should kill myself. I felt my contradiction showing, that I was still the same weakling.
"I'm sorry, Odin. I promise I won't This happened repeatedly. "
Then I began to appreciate Osman's taste in favoring trees and planting his garden, otherwise I would have been exposed in that flat place.
Until I found a servant who was the same height as me and thicker than me and looked as if he was seventeen years old."
"Ha ha, look, Odin, that boy. Do you think his clothes will suit me? "
"Hmm, yes, especially since you'll be wearing them over these black clothes. It's a good disguise; his weight will cover your build."
The servant was in a good mood, unaware of the wolf stalking him. He was prey, unaware of the predator's watchful eye. "Hmm, dann, what a beautiful day! The first day on duty at Master Osman's palace. It's not as bad as they said." Then the servant sensed something walking among the trees. "Hmm, perhaps there's a cat. I should check if it's Lady Sa'la's cat; I might get into trouble."
Suddenly, the voice disappeared, and a shadow appeared behind it. It struck him on the neck without hesitation.
"Good. Now take off his clothes and put them on quickly."
He pushed it away, and I took off his clothes and put them on. "Hmm, they're really good. Although they're a little loose, they're enough to make them believe I'm a servant."
Then Odin said very coldly, "Kill him, Cyrus."
I swallowed hard, feeling a very strange sensation inside. I felt as if... Killing him will kill something inside me and I will give up my humanity. I felt as if I would give up myself. "Odin, he is unconscious. Killing him will not change anything."
In a firm tone, Odin said, "I told you to kill him. If you want to get used to blood, kill him. If she wants to conquer the world, you must become a killer. The remaining mercy inside you, you must kill it before it kills you and extinguishes your spark. Kill him and prove to yourself that you can sit on the throne of the world."
I tightened my hand on dagger handle, looking at the face of that unconscious boy. Then I hesitated a lot, but in the end, I stabbed him in the heart with the knife. I felt intense fear and trembling when I saw the blood. "I killed him. I killed a human being."
Odin said harshly, looking at the blood as if it were his beloved, "Good. Now you are a warrior. Now you are a killer."
Then I began to vomit.
"Hey, be careful not to stain your clothes."
After vomiting, I felt a violent trembling all over my body. I was terrified by what I had come to, but I felt this feeling slowly disappear. There was a very small light in a huge cave. True, the small light might not illuminate the entire cave, but it was still a place of light. But now this cave had become pitch black.
After I retrieved my turban, I went inside the palace.